Somewhere Between Love and War - Excerpts
by weazelbeater
Summary: A collection of random scraps that just didn't quite fit into 'Love and War', but still stand as individual tales. Snippets of thought: some rather serious, some a bit silly. Who knows? This anthology is dedicated to the infamous Aguagi: I wouldn't still be writing if it weren't for her thoughtful input, creative guidance and unerring patience. あなたの存在を大いに感謝します!
1. - Therapy -

\- Therapy -

* * *

Therapy: exorcising personal demons is hard work. The trick is finding something that actually works. But how will one know, unless they try...?

* * *

"You're doing it again."

"Doing what, Ryuko?"

"You know. Been working later and later every night, working weekends all the way through? You promised, Satsuki!"

"I know, but there is so much to be done! I-"

" _Who_ did you promise?"

"Look, I know I promised you-"

"BZZT! Wrong answer! You promised _yourself_ you wouldn't do this shit to yourself anymore."

"Yes…I did promise myself…but there is so much to still be _done_ , and apparently no one can do this properly but me! Damn it all! If those blasted fools had _any_ brain cells to rub together, I wouldn't have such a deadline looming over me! So it is up to me once more to salvage this opportunity from the ashes of-"

"Right. That is it. C'mon, grumpy butt! Up! We're taking a trip, right now. Grab yer coat!"

"Hmm? Oh, Ryuko…I can't right now, I simply must finish drawing up this proposal, and it's due this coming Monday! Can't we just wait until-"

"Nnnope! You've been too stressed out by this crap for way too long. We need to go blow off some of that steam, and I know just where to do it, too!"

"Perhaps, but-"

"Don't make me sing."

"…please, don't."

"All right then. Put down the laptop and let's go."

"But-"

" _It's the FINAL COUNTDO_ _ **OOOOWWNN**_ _NN-_ "

"AH! I SURRENDER! Please, stop that infernal racket! Let me just grab my coat! Why, look! It's right over here!"

"Yeah, now that's more like it."

 _"_ _Rrr…*grumble*…musical blackmail torture! Why, the very idea of inflicting such-"_

"Eh? What was that, Sats?"

"Oh, nothing, my _dearest_. Let's go to wherever we are headed and get this over with…I absolutely need to complete this proposal by tonight, regardless of your most inopportune shenanigans."

"Okay. You'll feel way better after this, I promise!"

"Hmph. We shall see."

* * *

The sports complex was packed, as usual. Satsuki looked on with mild curiosity as Ryuko's memory guided them like a dutiful honeybee straight to the twenty-four-hour batting cages. Two bat rentals later, and they were camped out in adjoining booths. Satsuki daintily pinched her bat between thumb and forefinger like a cheap broom, holding it out as if it had just been used to achieve something positively criminal.

"Ugh. I would have brought gloves if I had known we were doing something like this. How many people have pawed this thing with their grubby paws before me? I shudder to think."

Ryuko grinned, a wild look in her eyes as she gripped her own bat with zealous excitement. Satsuki noted a keen change in her sibling's voice as she babbled on about her reasoning for coming to this practice warzone.

"You'll be fine. Quit bein' a baby about it! That kinda stuff's good for your immune system anyways. Besides, I'm sure you have some of that stupid sanitizer crap in yer purse anyways, right? You are such a-"

She stopped talking as soon as her eyes came to rest upon Satsuki's hand as it darted forth to retrieve said hand sanitizer bottle from within her cavernous purse.

"What?"

" _*sigh*_ …I was right. You are a _total_ wuss."

"Caring about germs does not make me a 'wuss', you ignoramus! If you cared nearly as much as I do about observing proper health protocols, perhaps you wouldn't have gotten _me_ so sick in the hospital with your very first cold, 'Typhoid Ryuko'!"

"Oh, fer the love of…I _said_ I was sorry about that!"

"I never thought it possible to pull a rib while sneezing. Until I met _you_ , of course."

"Sorry."

"Have _you_ ever coughed so much you felt like you were going to pass out? Well, I have."

"See. Previous. Answer."

"I tore out some of my stitches! You _still_ owe me for that ordeal, as far as I'm concerned."

" _Any_ ways. Moving rrrright along… _*ahem*!_ Now I want you to consider something here for a moment. Remember when we first clashed at the Academy, and I challenged you and _kept_ challenging you, over and over again? You once said that you found my combat skills to be 'unorthodox' and 'amateurish', but I gave you a real run for the money anyways, now didn't I? That's probably because you only faced well-trained opponents before you met me, right? You and your elite master swordsmanship skills…you think I got the benefit of accelerated training like that?"

"No, I know better. However, you did manage to hold your own most of the time. You were lucky to be augmented by such a powerful Godrobe! What exactly is your point?"

"Well, this is the 'big secret' to my fighting style. To me, the Scissor Sword was just a bat, and everything and everyone I faced was a ball! Y'see, I loved baseball in school. When I stepped up to the plate during gym class, everyone in the outfield backed way the hell up! I took my frustrations out on that baseball and everyone around me knew it."

"I…see. How very savage and violent of you."

"Heh…you know it. I had a lot of pent-up anger back then, and I couldn't just go around breaking the face of everyone who royally pissed me off! I mean…yeah sure, maybe I did when I got _older_ , but…uh, anyways. Here, lemme just set up my ball cannon…aw, yeah. Cool. So when the ball comes at ya, just imagine it to be the face of someone who bullied you…or kicked your ass fer no good reason…or spit in yer food! Just take all that frustration and BLAM!"

With this, Ryuko unleashed a swing of legendary velocity at the first ball. The poor baseball regretted coming out of its hideout today: it was sent rocketing back into a far net with a resounding *CRACK*, causing Satsuki to flinch just a tiny bit at the percussive sound. She watched as Ryuko beamed a jagged grin of wild ferocity at her, nostrils flaring and wiggling like an overly excited beast. It was obvious that the young punk was tapping into a most primal vein of violence and aggression today…and she was absolutely _loving_ it. Mumbled threats and cocky poses were employed as Ryuko imagined herself to be the ultimate deathbringer to all sports-related spheres. Every one she pounded out into the empty space before her was an exhilarating micro-catharsis, a cleansing of the spirit. People actually pay several thousand yen an hour for therapy sessions? Why? This was _so_ much cheaper!

 _'_ _Imagine the ball to be…? Oh, such crude barbarism! I wouldn't stoop so low. Really, Ryuko-chan…'_ Satsuki sighed, then turned towards her own machine and flipped it on. She had never actually struck a ball in this particular manner before (Imagine that: Lady Satsuki, playing such a barbaric and thoughtless sport? Why, the very thought!), so this was to be a new experience altogether. She idly wondered if Uzu used this same secret theory for his powerful kendo strikes as she braced herself. Imitating the stance of a batter as best she could, she distantly worried about the future of her shiny new manicure as the first ball darted out towards her.

Her traitorous mind wandered just a little bit due to the sneaky power of Ryuko's subliminal suggestions, and for a brief moment she did indeed think of the ball as wearing her dear mother's smirking, arrogant face. It wasn't difficult to recall the snidest of expressions, that chilling gleam within her evil eye. Teeth were spontaneously gritted, and one split-second later Satsuki smashed this speeding faceball with a resounding hit. The crushing impact travelled through her bones, immediately reminding her of endless training exercise sessions with countless wooden bokken: such youthful reminiscing also dredged up fleeting images of other characters who could have potentially used a well-aimed bat swing or two right to the kisser.

 _'_ _Hmm. That was…why, that felt…really good?'_

Instinct took over in an instant. For the next few hours, Satsuki hit no baseballs at all. However, she _did_ annihilate countless Kiryuin Ragyos, annoying little Harime Nuis, fat skulking Kuroido Takijis…oh, _yes._ There was a long parade of faces that ended up being crushed by her precise, masterful swings. In fact, more than she expected…although some faces did rear up more than others.

 _'_ _*crack* Ragyo. *crack* Ragyo._ _*crack* Ragyo._ _*crack* Ragyo! *crack* Nui! *crack* That incompetent clerk at the airport the other day! *crack* Ragyo._ _*crack* That moron who screwed up the accounting software at work! *crack* Ragyo. *crack* Every single commuter who somehow could_ _not_ _find the proper pedal in traffic today!_ _*crack* Ragyo! *crack* People who spit in public!' *crack* Ragyo. *crack* Smokers! *crack* Ragyo…!'_

There was a certain Zen like flow to it, and Satsuki found herself floating along in violent (and vaguely guilt-inducing) cathartic bliss for a good, long while before she finally dropped the sweaty bat to her side. Knuckles pounding and muscles throbbing, she panted as ticklish sweat coursed down her glistening brow. She gasped and huffed as a towel was slowly handed to her by Ryuko, who was now quietly staring at her in impressed awe.

"Doing all right over there? You've been goin' batshit mental on those baseballs for a while now. You feelin' okay?"

"Oh, dear. Ryuko, this is _such_ a mind-numbingly simple and brutish pastime."

Ryuko was about to roll some eyes and reluctantly apologize for her choice in unsavory activities when Satsuki then blurted out a surprise exclamation of frenetic joy.

"This might be even better than therapy!"

Ryuko's eyes widened at this unexpectedly jubilant declaration. That subtle gleam in Satsuki's eye, the barely-concealed smile. Her plan had _worked!_

"Ha-ha-haa! I was just thinkin' that _exact_ thing earlier! It's true: great minds do think alike! See, I feel all warm and fuzzy after a couple hundred of these little 'therapy sessions'. I just had to share this with you…Satsuki, you always seem so bummed out about work these days, and that's just no way to live."

"Sometimes, Ryuko…I will confess that sometimes I feel just awful about the things I ponder while managing the boardroom these days. If it was back at the Academy, I could just effortlessly strip everyone involved of their titles with a mere snap of my fingers if they dared to cross me! Now, I have to find ways to work it out with them all. I have to tolerate what I perceive as incompetence every single day. And yet…this is the old me, thinking of such things. I have to summon more patience and stop judging people as I would have before. No one takes work more seriously than I do, and I cannot assume that others will be able to achieve the same level of supreme efficiency I always seek to employ. I don't have the comfort of being surrounded by my Elite Four anymore. Perhaps I do simply need to relax…perhaps I worry too much."

"You feel relaxed now?"

"Yes, I do. Strange, I hadn't understood why people undertook this sort of thing before now. I wonder…does everyone seek out this savage kind of thrill, this purging of anger and stress?"

"In some ways, yeah. I think so. Lots of people should and don't, though. Too afraid of being seen as some violent psycho, maybe? But seriously, to _hell_ with what other people think! Stress can totally kill if you don't find ways of releasing it, you know! Stress is like poison to your soul; ya gotta figure out a way to vent it, or else it rots you away from the inside! Find what works for you and stick with it, right? You see, this is what works for me. I figured that maybe you might possibly see some value in it, too? I mean sure, some people go and do the whole fancy-ass golf driving range thing, but that just ain't barbaric enough to give me a real thrill! Golf is way too civilized for a punk like me! Hah!"

"Yes, of course. I will admit that there is a certain therapeutic value to be found in this activity. I thank you for bringing me here today. Perhaps we can make this a semi-regular occurrence, hmm?"

"Yeah! Music to my ears! We'll make a cool person outta you yet, Satsy-kins!"

"Er…yes, o-of course. Me…somehow becoming 'cool'. Dare to dream, Ryuko-chan! Dare to dream..."

* * *

" _*yawn*_ Mbleh. Hrrm. G' mornin, Sats. Oi? Ooh, fuck. Uh-oh…ow-ow- _oww!_ Oh, boy. Ain't it weird, when you do crap like that and ya find a bunch of muscles that you didn't know you even _had_ until you try to move 'em the next day? Oh man, my ribs are killing me…"

"Aw, your poor widdle ribs hurt? Ah, so this is what sweet justice feels like. Anyways, you should perhaps try swimming? It exercises more muscle groups than any other aerobic activity. For an example, behold: I feel just fine. I'm not sore at all!"

"No friggin' way. After nearly three solid hours of batting practice? Nothing? No cramping, not even a muscle twinge?"

"Negative."

"Ugh. Figures. Yer a total and complete health nerd now, too."

"Well, yes. My body _is_ a reflection of my mind, as is yours. Perhaps you should join me once in a while for a workout, hmm? In fact, I just finished mine and I feel fabulous!"

"Aw…but you get up _so_ early for that crap?"

"Indeed I do! I find that it refreshes me and prepares me for a long day of hard work."

"Eugh…I'm allergic to mornings as it is. Do you know how _hard_ it is to get to work at eight in the morning? _Eight!_ That's like a single digit! _Hmph!_ Should be friggin' illegal to hafta get up that early."

"Try going to bed earlier, then? Also, I have supplements that I can recommend to make that transition a bit easier for you."

"Nope, no need fer that. I got my coffee right here! It works just fine. Y'know…eventually."

"Mmm. Well, perhaps we should go biking, then?"

"Oi…you said you wouldn't ever be caught dead on my bike? Like gee, thanks for the vote of confidence there, Sats…but-"

"Not the motorcycle, you twit! A bicycle. There are some trails, here in the woods around the house. I usually utilize a stationary bike for exercise, but I _could_ be convinced to get out on a trail or two, if you were to promise that you'd accompany me for it? You can even pretend you're on a motorcycle while you get some much-needed exercise! Why, I'll even allow you to make the appropriate engine noises to keep you entertained!"

"Shut the hell up, you caterpillar-browed troll. But…yeah…all right, I guess that sounds kinda cool. Boy, I haven't been on a mountain bike in years! We should totally go shopping for bikes! Oi! I want a sparkly red one!"

"We already _have_ off-road bicycles, Ryuko. Downstairs, next to the garage…in the exercise room? Surely you _have_ been in there at least once, yes?"

"S-sure. Oh man, I've worked out in there so many times! Well, not like a _lot_ of times, but yeah I totally get in there on occasion…uh…"

"Oh, really. What's the security number to get in, then?"

" _Onetwothreefourfive!_ Ha- _haa!_ See? You thought I forgot again! _*mnyehh*_ "

"*sigh*. Ryuko-chan…there's no security keypad for that room, only for the interior garage door. Put your damned tongue away! You look like a recently hooked fish."

"Shit! But I… _*tsk*_ …oh, fuck _me._ Damn it all."

"I'm also telling Inumuta to force a change for all your personal codes, post haste. That is _the_ worst security code in the history of mankind. Did you not listen to a single word of his security briefing when we first moved in?"

" _Omigod_ , I chose what I could remember! Dammit, Sats! It's always 'long-ass password this' and 'complicated sign-on information' that! I can't be expected to remember _all_ that shit! Fuck! Who even cares about hacking my dumb ass, anyways? Like that ever really happens, outside of spy thriller and bank heist movies! Oh, and I don't click on dumb website ad shit, either. Um, you know…anymore."

"Right. Of course! Who would _ever_ try to hack one of the richest young women around? Makes perfect sense, dear. By the way, receive any calls from the bank's fraud protection squad lately?"

"Uh…"

"Do I need to remind you again of the time that Nonon changed your Facebook relationship status to ' _It's complicated?'_ , and then changed your profile picture to that of a rotten lemon?"

"…no."

" _How_ was she ever able to do such a thing, my dear heart? Is she known to be a master-class hacker like Inumuta? Hmm?"

"Ugh. That microscopic little _bitch_. She guessed my damned password."

"Which was…?"

" _*rrrgh*_ Too easy to guess. Yes, all right…I _get_ it, 'kay? Inumuta already gave me a bunch o' shit for that!"

"So then _what_ are you going to do tonight?"

" _*grumble*…_ gonna change _all_ my stuff to be more 'secure' or whatever. Happy?"

"Perhaps, in time. The safer you become, the better I'll feel. Deal with it, Ryuko-chan! I _do_ care, even if you think I'm just a snobby thorn in your side."

"Haven't ya always been, though?"

"Mmm. Looking back, I would say… _yes_. Gleefully so! You have certainly needed one, lest you start to pay less and less attention to the things that truly matter."

"This is what I get for trying to cheer you up. _*sigh*_ I swear…"

"Yes. You get someone who truly cares about your well-being. I _love_ you."

"Yeah…I-I know that."

"Listen, I'm not _always_ right, but-"

" _*gasp*_ No shit? Hey, can you just repeat that so I can record those words coming from _your_ own mouth? Here, lemme just get my phone out…"

" _BUT_ you know I'm right _this_ time, don't you?"

"Fuck, I already agreed with you! Yes, you're right."

"Oh? Could you please say that into _my_ phone?"

"Don't make me kick your ass, Sats."

"Goodness, no! Why, you'd probably pull a muscle trying to do that now!"

"You are _such_ a bitch."

"Of course! I learned from the very best."

"The very worst, you mean."

"Ah. True, true."

"Yeah…but…you _are_ the best. I know you mean well, I really do."

"I certainly hope so."

"I do! Look, can we try to compromise? You leave weekends more open for us, and save work for the weekdays like normal people do, alright? I'll try to change my bad habits if you do?"

"Very well. That's a fair proposition."

"Deal! Go finish your work proposal, super nerd. You can start being normal next weekend."

"I shall try. Oh, but if only I could find someone to learn it from, that is. This tricky 'normal' thing you speak of…the concept sounds most alien in nature."

" _*snort*_ Oh, you got used to _me_ pretty quickly! As 'alien' as they come, I am!"

"Yes, well… you were. Not anymore, thankfully!"

"Eh. I kinda still am, Sats. Sure, I may be all human and stuff now, but I got a long ways to go before I actually feel that way."

"We can learn together, you and I?"

"Sure! Unless…hey, maybe we really _are_ normal, and it's actually the rest of the world that's all fucked up?"

"Remind me again: did they ever get back the results of your brain scans, dear?"

"Yeah. They said I was hopelessly in love with you…until you pissed me off for the very last time."

"Ah…so the scans _did_ find brain damage! It was as I suspected."

"Why, you stuck-up little b-"

"It's a good thing my heart scans said the same thing, Ryuko-chan."

"You…you are _such_ a dork! Gimme a hug."

"Well, then! Perhaps I _*oof*_ am one, after all. But, you complete and utter twit…you must never forget that I am _your_ 'dork'."

"Yeah, of course…always!"

" _Always…_ yes, I rather like the sound of that..."

* * *

"Oh, and I reminded her of your Facebook prank, too. Ryuko is going to learn, one way or the other. This I solemnly swear!"

"Oh, man. That's just too funny! Ryuko really needs some humiliating lessons in responsibility, doesn't she? Want me to convince Doggy to _really_ mess with her dumb ass?"

"Please, no! Let's try to keep it civil. I don't want to impress upon her that people are being outright cruel to her again. Poor Ryuko has put up with enough of that in her day."

"Oh, fine. Spoilsport. So how exactly are you going to convince her to start exercising in the morning with you, again?"

"I have my ways. You see, Ryuko has this particular pair of torn jean shorts that she absolutely fell in love with recently. She's taken to wearing them just about every single day! Well, I took the time to find the exact same pair for sale and procured a few identical pairs in increasingly smaller sizes. Ryuko will soon be discovering that her chubby little butt won't _quite_ fit in those beloved shorts of hers…then I shall be there to arrange a conveniently suggested remedy, of course! It took quite some time to produce a few exacting yet increasingly smaller copies of her new favorite shorts, but with a seam ripper in hand and a firm goal in mind…"

" _*gasp*_ Oh, my goodness. That is pure _evil!_ I always liked your style, Satsuki. Did I ever mention that before?"

"Perhaps. It's for her own good, you know. She stays up late all the time these days, gaming online and eating who knows _what_ kind of awful junk food, just utter swill…then complains that 'mornings are too tough for her'. Then she has the audacity to complain that her legs aren't as well-toned as mine…yet still consistently rejects the notion of going to the gym with me! She never had this problem going to class that early at Honnouji…but then again, she was fighting for her very life every day. That kept her on her toes, and kept her in top shape! So it now falls upon me to find a way to keep her on her toes, just like I did back then. Yes…Ryuko will _learn_ , one way or the other."

"All right, Satsuki. I can hear the edge in your voice. What did she _really_ do to deserve this treatment, huh? I know 'Wonderbrat' must have done something really insulting to piss you off _this_ much…what was it this time?"

"Is it really that obvious?"

"Look, maybe everyone else might miss it, but I know you better than that!"

"Oh my, you are indeed most perceptive, Nonon-san! Yes, well…please don't tell anyone else that perhaps she recently took the liberty of… _*sigh*_ …bleaching one of my eyebrows blonde as a prank while I slept."

" _Nani sore?!_ She…she _didn't?_ "

"Oh, but she did. One infuriated wrestling match and subsequent black eye later, and she apparently thinks we're somehow even now? Well, I shall tell you…we are _not!_ Until I no longer have to painstakingly color this brow black, she shall be receiving my _wrath_ , one way or the other."

"Ouch. How the hell did she manage to pull that one on you, anyways?"

"We had been drinking the night before. I let it go to my head, and it made me groggier than usual. I didn't sense it until it was too late to halt the process. Ryuko was quite drunk, but unfortunately I was a bit drunker. Oh, she thought it was _so_ very hilarious. That immature little wench!"

"I _told_ you to watch the alcohol intake, Satsuki! You are a total lightweight! Heck, even I can drink you under the table!"

"Yes, I _do_ remember that night. Thank you so much for the subtle reminder, Lady Jakazure-san."

"Oh, I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean-I wasn't trying to be rude! I just meant to say that you need to-"

"Please relax. I am aware that you didn't mean it that way. I know better than that."

"That's right. You always have!"

"I know. I do appreciate it, Nonon, and I always will. So, enough about me and my daily perils. How is New York treating you?"

"Pretty good. We're going into the studio for the second album next week. We have to avoid the dreaded 'sophomore slump', so I've been pushing everybody really hard to practice! I figure another two months or so of recording, then the mixing…then I'll have about six weeks left to get ready for the big event. Then we go on another world tour. Ooh! We got Babymetal to sign on with us! Oh, and _they_ are the openers…I shouldn't have to clarify that, but I will anyways. It should be a fun time, plus I get to take my new husband with me, too! We'll be reliving all our first dates!"

"Indeed? I am glad for you! Shall we be celebrating your birthday the weekend before the wedding?"

"Ah, well…if you all come over here early, I suppose so. It's going to be a tough week. Giving up my Japanese citizenship for an American one. You know, the 'declaration of choice by age twenty one' thing. Kind of sucks, really. Well, I have no choice, can't be a dual citizen…oh! Did I tell you that my mother will be attending the wedding after all?"

"Really? Why, that's incredible news! I'm so happy for you! How did she end up making that choice?"

"Well, Mom finally told Dad to shove it up his ass, since he's being such a total dick about my decision to leave his company without an heir. Mom said that she isn't missing her daughter's wedding for the world, so both her and my aunt will be coming! I'm so happy about that…I mean I _will_ miss my Dad, but he made his feelings pretty damned clear when he cut me out of his will and terminated my bank account."

"No! Surely he didn't go _that_ far?"

"Oh yes, he did. He hasn't spoken a word to me since. That bitter old bastard holds a grudge even more than I do, believe me."

"Nonon-san, I am so terribly sorry. I don't know what to say."

"Sure you do, Satsuki! Just say ' _I'm happy that you are choosing love and true happiness over honoring some bullshit forced family commitment._ ' That would work pretty well…"

"Then that is what I will say! I am so very happy for you! I'm glad things are turning out so well for you…all except for the wrinkle in your awkward family situation, of course. I can certainly sympathize with you there."

"Wow. Understatement of the year, Satsuki-sama! Yeah, well…it is true that family can really, really suck at times."

"Well, I'm glad you do still have family backing your corner! You may include me in that statement as well, of course."

"Oh, yeah? So you're part of my family now, too?"

"Wha-? I-I…ah, if it pleases you to think of it in…in that way? I do…ah, consider you _all_ to be…a part of my f-family. My courageous Elite Four, faithful Soroi, brave Iori…you have all meant so very much to me, each and every one of you. I…I really should admit that more often to you all, I suppose. I wish I had been courteous enough to make it clear to you all back then, but I wasn't able to spare such dangerous emotions at the time. I should apologize for that, I just-"

" _Satsuki._ "

"Ah…y-yes?"

"We understand. We all understood _then_ , too. We had a job to do, and fawning over us wouldn't have made us what we needed to be for you! Consider it 'tough love', all right? Lady Satsuki, you did what you had to do to prepare us for fighting through hell itself. Going easy on us would have only led to our eventual deaths! But we were _all_ tough enough to prevail. Even Ryuko! All thanks to you! So if you think that any of us don't understand that? You would be very wrong. You cared enough to do what _had to be done_. None of us will _ever_ forget that!"

"Thank you for your kind words. I was cruel-"

"-But _fair!_ "

"Yes. I hope so. You have all been like a family to me. Soroi, he…he took great care of me when things became unimaginably difficult at home. You, Nonon, gave me the inner strength necessary to keep my heart set upon my ultimate goal. I can never repay you for this."

"Actually, I'd say that the violin went a long ways towards that! Hee hee, I taunt Marcus with it all the time! Oh, I am such a devious bitch. I make him beg to even touch it!"

"Well, as long as you eventually let him play with it…"

"Heh, not until the wedding night! Then he can 'play' with it all he wants!"

"…"

"Oh, shit. You're blushing, aren't you?"

"…nonsense."

"Okaaay, you totally _aren't_ blushing, then. Gotcha. Nothing to see here."

" _*ahem*_ Yes, of course. Right."

"So, if we're family now…do you think before the wedding, we could…you knooow…get together, you and me? Spend some…quality time together? Help me get that crush out of my system?"

" _*cough*_ What did you just say? Nonon, surely you don't mean-"

"Aw, come on. A certain bachelorette is going to need some good old fashioned love before the big 'ball and chain' ceremony, right?"

"I-"

" _Kidding!_ Just kidding! Man, I'll bet you sure are blushing _now_ , Satsuki-sama!"

" _*cough*_ …ah…you would be…correct."

"Sorry, I just couldn't resist. The joke was sitting right there!"

"Ryuko's rubbing off on you, I see."

"Not yet, she isn't! Why, is she _*snort!*_ going to be _coming_ , too?"

" _Nonon!_ "

"Sorry! Sorry…I'm a little pent up these days. We're waiting until the wedding, so no more hot nookie until then. Ugh! It's been harder than I thought."

"Hmm. I'm sure your fiancée feels the same way right about now."

"Daaamn. _You_ went there?"

"Well, my dear Nonon. You see, Ryuko _has_ been rubbing off on me. _Repeatedly._ "

"Oh, ouch. All right, I'm backing off, I surrender!"

"I thought you might."

"Damn, Satsuki. I just can't underestimate you in anything, now can I?"

"You would do well not to do that."

"Unless we're drinking? No."

"We'll save that for your bachelorette party. We must beware of Ryuko and Uzu, however! They get quite rowdy these days, when alcohol is involved. It seems to bring out the 'inner asshole' in each of them, and property destruction is usually the end result if they are in close proximity of one another. I suspect that their mutual grudge may _never_ fade, at this rate."

"Hey, that's what Ira is for…the big toad will protect us and keep them in their place, as always!"

"I have a feeling that you are right, Nonon-san. Listen, I have to get going to bed. It has been most wonderful talking to you! I look forward to our next conversation."

"Okay, I'll talk to you soon, 'onee-sama'!"

"Ah? Oh, er…uh, y-yes, o-of course…i-imo-imou-i-imout-"

" _*snort*_ Oh, quit trying to spit that out, Satsuki! There's no need to force a pretend sisterly bond, right? Ha-ha-haa! It _is_ hard to say, isn't it? Bye, Satsuki-sama!"

 _-click-_

"…hmm…well, I'll be damned. So _that's_ what it must have felt like…"


	2. - Final Exam -

\- Final Exam -

* * *

Warning: Silly. Very silly.

* * *

"We really need to talk about this, Ryuko."

"What is there to discuss? His hands were fucking freezing!"

"Yes, as was the equipment. Believe me, I know."

"So? That's a god damned death sentence, right there! Case closed!"

"I'm not disagreeing with you there. I just…"

"What? Feeling remorseful? Penitent? It's just a little bit too late for mercy, now!"

"Don't be stupid, Matoi."

"Then what is it, Bushy Brows?"

"Well, I need to find out if France and Japan have an extradition treaty. Give me just a moment to look it up…"

"Why? I thought we just needed airtight alibis? Fucking hell, what good is being rich if it can't buy you that? Shit! Famous people get away with it all the time!"

"Ah…? Excellent! I think we're all set if we simply don't ever return to Japan. I say to hell with this country! Archipelagos are so twentieth-century, and the cost of living here is simply outrageous…oh, and the shitty trains are like a damned perverted gropefest! Ryuko-chan, you do appreciate French cuisine, correct?"

"Yeah, I guess so. French fries count, right?"

"Ah…oh sure, why not? Pack your bags, dear! Breakfast is on me, once we get to Paris!"

"Right on! Lemme just stop to clean the blood out of my hair first."

"Oh, come now. You already have one red streak…what's a few more? It's acting like spiking gel. It looks quite roguish, you know. Very handsome and chic! I think you'll be just fine."

"I dunno. I don't want to throw off my originality, y'know? It's supposed to be only one colored streak. I may end up becoming too cool if I push it."

"Ha! Originality? Surely you jest, Ryuko-chan."

"Eh? Whaddaya mean?"

"You sincerely believe that being an Asian girl with a colored hair streak is 'original' in this day and age? You mean just like Knives Chau, Mako Mori, GoGo Tomago, Akima Kunimoto, Miko Nakadai, Juniper Lee, Somni-451, Nikki Wong, and Tina Cohen-Chang, just to name a select few?"

"Oh sure, like your 'hime cut' was so original, 'Princess Iron Lady'? And that whole 'aloof dark-haired girl' thing has been positively done to death!"

"I had my reasons, Shadow."

"Eh? What did you just say?"

" _*ahem*_ Oh, nothing. Nothing at all, imouto-san! Now don't you worry about the hair streak…after all, you certainly do wear it best out of all of them!"

"You know what? You're all right, Satsuki-sama. Fucking-A! Okay, then: to the airport, and step on it! First class seats to 'The City of Light!', please! Or 's'il vous play-dough' or however the hell the phrase goes!'"

"Oui, ma chérie! Next stop: 'La Ville Lumière'!"

"You know, normally I'd be creeped out by the sound of French…but you somehow make it sound all right."

"It's all in the tongue, dear. Harime Nui just got it all wrong!"

"Tongue, huh? _*ahem*_ W-well, maybe she wasn't wrong all of the time…"

"What was that, Ryuko?"

" _*ahem*_ Oh, nothing. Nothing at all, onee-san! Let's hit it!"

And so it came to pass that Ryuko and Satsuki immediately moved to France, with Ryuko making a living by playing guitar in Parisian sidewalk cafes, and Satsuki becoming a world renowned professional tea critic.

As for Mikisugi, well…he was buried in a shoe box. No one would miss the jackass or his creepy, glowing equipment. He had left many, many ladies feeling quite cold in his time, and it had finally caught up to him.

\- The End -

 _The moral of the story: Warm your hands up first, asshole._


	3. - The Call of the Void -

\- The Call of the Void -

* * *

\- Down the road from Honnōji Academy, August 4th, 2013, 9:27 a.m. -

* * *

Even for someone as young and determined as lone drifter Matoi Ryuko, walking all night and day eventually pained the mortal flesh. Eyes cast down to the ground, she had been making a mental game of allowing the terrain to flash by in abstract, blurred rushes. The occasional snide or distasteful comment about her general appearance and perceived lack of employment would make it to her ears, yet she callously brushed them away, only allowing such petty things to further temper her already-adamantine will.

Still, sheer attitude could only get you so far, and Ryuko's blistered and swollen feet were making it perfectly clear that she should stop and rest, if only for a brief while. A cool, refreshing breeze washed over her as she approached the bridge, so she decided to casually dangle her legs over the edge as she stopped in the middle to eat and rest. Casting her gaze over the bay, she noted that the looming spire of Honnōji Academy could now finally be seen from her location, poking its arrogant peak over the surrounding city skyline.

 _'_ _Oi, will ya look at that…like a big middle finger to the whole world! Kinda fitting, I guess, from what I hear. Yeah, we'll see who get's fucked over in the end though, eh? I don't care who I have to steamroll over there…I will find answers! I will have my revenge! Just you wait, whoever you are…'_

The atmosphere was uncomfortably warm and stuffy in the city, but up on the bridge she was exposed to a rush of fresh sea air as it swept across the bay. Ryuko's geared eyes gleamed and flitted about as she sized up the local geography in the early morning light. It was going to be a long walk from here, but the sun would still be high in the sky when she finally set foot upon that man-made island domain.

She had been eking out a tightrope subsistence as of late, each meal a carefully measured banquet of calories as she slowly but surely ran out of money. This snack, her very last rations, consisted of some leftover pork nikuman buns, soggy and doughy but still palatable to the hungry young vagabond. A pitiful amount of cash dwelled in her pocket: most of which would most likely have to go towards a purchase of something edible on that island fortress later in the day. There didn't appear to be any other stores between here and the Academy's ominous entrance. Hopefully the local economy's inflation wasn't _too_ bad; supposedly this Academy was its own little snowglobe of a dictatorship (if the rumors were to be believed, anyways…), and Ryuko wasn't too keen on finding out that it might cost quadruple the normal rate for lunch.

Shit, maybe if she were lucky she could snag a fresh lemon. When was the last time she had one of those? It was something to look forward to, at any rate. Absently munching on a bun, she carefully considered the fact that this damned school was audacious enough to use the entirety of Tokyo Bay as a moat. Well now, someone was certainly full of themselves when they chose that spot…only a supremely arrogant psyche would be so blatantly obnoxious! To think of all the money and manpower it must have taken to build a school in _that_ particular location…? Wow. If she found out that the person who did that was _also_ responsible for her poor father's untimely demise? Why, all the better! Ryuko liked taking down big opponents most of all…the bigger, the better. They always squealed so much _louder_ when she stomped their bollocks flat!

Chuckling, the raven-haired punk snorted to herself as she leaned upon her guitar case. This was a nice spot, away from all the annoying people and the rest of their stinking, noisy civilization. She could almost see herself taking a nice nap here in the pleasantly warm sun…but no. She could _also_ see herself being arrested for vagrancy, as well. It would spoil her day…no, her entire _year_ if she were locked up this close to her final destination! And from what she had been hearing, the characters who ran this joint fit a lot of her own built-up personal profiles. Whispers of an army being trained, a power-mad dictator using students for their own crazy schemes. Ties to REVOCS, a company that her own dad was somehow involved with at one point or another. There was enough of that company's paperwork in amongst the clutter of their old burned-out mansion to support that little pet theory of hers. There was something important going on here, she just _knew_ it.

All the more reason to push on. There was a hard piece of coal living in Ryuko's chest, and it burned deep and hot…forced her to walk when she didn't want to, fight on when she just wanted to rest.

But she _couldn't_ rest. Not until she finally had answers. Not until she had the guilty party by the bloody tail!

Nope, not until she had a victim to call her very own. Not until she shared a piece of her dark, haunted life with them, made them realize just what they had done when they made the sorry mistake of killing her dad…on the very eve of her own little family reunion, no less!

No, not until she finally killed _them_. Eye for a goddamned eye. Tooth for a _fucking_ tooth. Then, and only then, could she finally rest. Oh, and Ryuko was so damned physically and mentally exhausted after all of this seemingly endless searching and traveling. Living in shitty capsule hotels and internet cafes, dumpsters and gutters. Fight after bloody fight. Her high school transcript was pretty much useless at this point, not that she really cared. Oh well, at least she always got an A+ in physical education…

She anxiously rattled off a heel kick mantra against the bridge's concrete as her anger rose, until she very nearly threw a high-top sneaker off into the bay by accident. Cheeks red, she then quietly withdrew her feet from the edge before she lost her damned footwear to a rage-induced moment (again, as it wouldn't be the first time _that_ had occurred…). Imagining the final confrontation as she faced her dad's killer, she then thought of the peals of laughter aimed at her as she tried to kick their ass with one bare, limping foot…no, that wouldn't do at all, would it?

" _*tch*_ Will you calm _down_ , you hyper shithead? Save that rage for the mystery assholes, you damned idiot!"

She stood up, then stretched as she oh-so-casually looked around to see if her odd antics had drawn any unwanted attention. Spying no one, she then painstakingly dusted copious amounts of road grit from her well-rounded ass as she winced from the soreness now living in her gluteal muscles.

Ryuko ruefully sighed, then leaned against the metal railings as she glanced at the glittering water flowing by, far below. The water looked ominously cold and dark. She couldn't even see her reflection against the sky, as she was too far up. It was, what, maybe a thirty-meter drop? Forty? Her internal 'random fact machine' spat out a chilling factoid: hitting the water from _this_ height would certainly be like plowing into concrete at ninety kilometers per hour. It wouldn't be an instantaneous death, mind you…but guaranteed unconsciousness, broken bones and internal bleeding. Followed, of course, by a quiet and swift drowning.

She knew that water was virtually incompressible…it did not forgive or care in the slightest. Nothing could beat water. It always won in the end, sooner or later: whether by drowning, flooding or erosion, it was one of the most powerful and destructive forces on Earth. Water just did not give a fuck, much like her own self.

"Shiru ka!" Ryuko mumbled to herself: her adopted mantra of 'I don't give a fuck!' had always served to immediately inform others as to her life's philosophy. Her streak bobbed in the morning sun, glowing a bright crimson as she furtively eyed it hanging in front of her. Red meant danger in nature…and so did she. It was symbolic of courage and blood sacrifice, as well…of the fiery rage that dwelled in her heart. Ryuko didn't mind the red streak. It served as a subtle warning to not mess with her. Only the stupid ignored that, and they had it coming.

Ryuko's foot shuffled over to a small group of stones, huddled against one main support pillar. She furtively looked around for cops, nosy bystanders…anyone who could butt in and bother her. The bridge was blessedly clear of people for the time being. Morning rush hour was over, and only the occasional vehicle zoomed by at rare intervals. Did it mean anything that there were no pedestrians at all on the way towards the Academy?

It was still mid-morning. No one was around to observe her silly little physics experimentation. She then listened to the sounds they made on their way down, first skittering across the concrete with a dry rattle as her foot nudged them one by one, then following with her eyes until they splashed down a few seconds later. It was almost hypnotic, watching the pebbles lazily tumble over and over in the air until they plopped into the dark current. The sound of the splash was registering a split second after she saw the rock hit the surface…it was something of an intriguing aural anomaly, and she found it to be rather fascinating.

 _Plop!_ …goodbye.

 _Bloop!_ …never to be seen again.

 _Splash!_ …no one will ever know you existed.

Ryuko's wandering mind then found itself idly imagining what her own body would sound like, slamming against those cold waves. _'A long drop. Hmm, I wonder…when I landed…would my eyes be closed, or open?'_

A sudden chill swept down her spine, prickling hair and nipple alike. _'Why the fuck am I even thinking of that? Am I that tired of living my life?'_ Ryuko was somewhat stunned to note that there wasn't an immediate and vehement rebuke to her own query from her rebellious subconscious. Staring down at that cold, black abyss, she silently realized that she was, indeed, bitterly tired of what life had to offer her so far.

Endless bullying. Constant remarks about her less-than-magnificent birth, her stunning lack of loving family. Mutant hair. Fucked up eyes. Ever-present reminders of who and what she really was to everyone she ever encountered.

A loser.

A wicked girl.

No one.

A genuine in-the-flesh nobody, with nonexistent prospects for the future.

 _'_ _Ha! Future._ _What_ _future? What is there to even look forward to after all of this, anyways...?'_

It _would_ be quick, going like this. Probably mostly painless, though Matoi Ryuko never let the idea of pain dissuade her from a decided path, once set by her force of stubborn will.

No one who could positively identify her body was even alive anymore: that little fact suddenly cut like obsidian into her chest. She would die, unknown and unloved. The papers would probably call her 'Miss Nanno Nanigashi'; a nameless corpse floating in Tokyo Bay, adrift in an anonymous sea of countless victims produced by the savage, unrelenting nature of Honnōji Academy.

A tiny glimmer sparked within the swirling void of her mind. Would she then be able to see her Daddy again…?

Maybe. Ryuko wasn't sure about the afterlife, or if there even was one. No gods had ever answered her prayers, either. But she had been holding onto the tiny hope of seeing it, if only so she could look forward to feeling his scratchy beard against her soft cheeks as she hugged him once again.

Would she be able to _face_ him, though…after doing something like this?

Staring down into the dark water, Ryuko found her lips automatically crafting a reply, and it took a few moments for her attention to decipher what she resolutely whispered to herself out loud into the cool bay breeze.

"…no."

 _'_ _No. I couldn't. I_ _have_ _to avenge him…it's all I have left. This is now my future: bringing about someone_ _else's_ _end! I'll be a destroying angel before I become a heavenly one…if I ever actually end up going there, that is. I'll find out why this all happened…I will! Then, I'll share my life's pain with them. I owe it to Dad to do this one thing, or else his death will have meant nothing! I can't have that. I just_ _can't_ _!"_

Ryuko cast her eyes once more towards the Academy's lone tower. They narrowed, then widened suddenly as a mysterious gleam shone forth from the spire's topmost point. Right…that was it, then. That odd ray of light was somehow taunting her, cajoling her into a fateful confrontation. A fresh bloom of rage ignited in her heart, incensed by that monument of pure arrogance and the audacious, shining presence that glittered at her in the far distance.

"I'll find my life's true purpose there…I just _know_ it. I can feel it in my bones!"

Ryuko decided in that heated moment that she was deaf to the call of the void. She had to be: the voice within her heart was demanding vengeance, and it was now louder than any self-destructive whispers by far.

Matoi Ryuko, a.k.a. the Kanto Drifter, slung her guitar case over one tired shoulder and started walking again; across the bridge and down the road that eventually curved towards Honnoji Academy. She would drift for just a little while longer, if only to ensure that she could bring some extra helpings of misery into the life of whoever had made the mistake of ruining hers…or die trying. She slowly shook one fist towards her eventual destination, teeth gnashing as a dry snarl passed through them.

"You'll regret ever crossing paths with me, whoever you are! You can count on _that_. Brace yourself, 'cause here I come!"

Guided by fate, spurred on by rage, Ryuko marched on towards the rest of her life and whatever surprises awaited her there. No matter what happened, she now knew that her set course was inevitable.

They _dared_ to meddle in her affairs, in her family life.

They thought they could get away with it, too.

They would soon learn otherwise.

She would teach them.


	4. - Finale (April Fool's Edition) -

Meant to be read right after 'Gravity', this clusterfuck was a gag ending for my 'Love and War' story that I posted on April Fool's Day of this year. I tried to make it as cringeworthy as possible (think Bill Murray's hammy death scene from 'Zombieland'). Sadly, I don't think it was different enough from my usual writing for anyone to really get the joke. Oh, well. I thought it was funny, anyways!

* * *

 _-Finale-_

 _'_ _I can only wait for the final amnesia, the one that can erase an entire life.'_

\- Luis Bunuel

* * *

All meaning was ripped from Satsuki's life in one harsh instant as the starch bullet pierced Ryuko's quivering frame. The lethal round tumbled upon impact, shredding flesh and fiber alike as it destroyed all organic and alien matter in its path. The hybrid's pulse stopped immediately as the once-strong heart was mercilessly rent into a lump of useless flesh and dead life fibers by the accursed round's destroying flight.

The crimson glow faded slowly from Ryuko's eyes, turning into cold, lifeless slate-blue eyes as the energy was snuffed from them by her final, selfless act. Her body fell forward, and it was all that Satsuki could do to catch her just before she tumbled down into the unforgiving abyss. Gasping for breath as shock surged inside her now-closing throat, Satsuki gently laid the stricken warrior to the grimy floor as choked pleas of mercy tumbled from her pleading lips.

"No…no! Ryuko-chan! NO! I WILL NOT ALLOW THIS!" Satsuki cried out loud, demanding immediate assistance from any deity that would listen to her mournful wails. She offered up her very being to trade places with her dear heart, but alas, no gods were moved enough to take up this desperate offer of her own immortal soul.

Blood pooled in Ryuko's lungs as she managed to look up to her beloved sibling's pale, panicked face one last time. Satsuki was dimly aware that she was staring into the completely normal, human eyes of Matoi Ryuko for the very first time…and also the last. The deformed spokes were gone now, and all of the red anger had disappeared with them, leaving behind the dying embers of Earth's ultimate savior to quietly wink out as her sibling helplessly watched.

"…ah…S-Satsy…? _*cough*_ G-good to…be…b-back, nee-san… _ah-hurkk! A-hukk-uck-kkrrchhhhhh-*_ " The death rattle that followed was low and wet, the congealing blood fatally swamping her failing respiratory system as the young _rōnin's_ dwindling spark slowly but surely slipped away.

"No…this wasn't supposed to happen! I…I had a plan to save you! Why, damn it?! WHY! Ryuko-chan! _Please! COME BACK TO ME!_ " Lady Satsuki gripped the cooling corpse to her heaving chest, the overwhelming heartache utterly crushing the ability to vocalize coherent words from her taxed frame. She sobbed to the point where she bitterly prayed that her lungs would simply implode from sheer sorrow. She had failed in her gambit to save the most important thing to her lonely, harrowed existence…what point was there in even drawing a breath anymore?

A tiny gasp emerged from Ryuko's throat, and Satsuki looked up suddenly through swimming, blurry vision to see that her beloved sibling's lips were quivering just a bit. Leaning forward as the terrible rush of pounding blood filled her ears, the Kiryuin warlord waited for a single moment, frozen in time as she waited for her prayer miracle to materialize.

It never came.

One last breath slipped from the dead girl's mouth, a final " _…hukk-uck-kkrrchhhhhh…*"_ as the finality of her death became perfectly clear to the poor woman. Ryuko was actually gone now, and she had nothing left within her to say or even do.

What could she possibly say? It was all her fault, and she knew it. Kiryuin Satsuki would spend the final years of her solitary life trying in vain to recapture the addictive warm glow of being next to her most precious angel, the last wellspring of her human emotions. Failing even this, she would ultimately befall a fate even worse than being the unholy ' _Steel Queen_ '…she was destined now to become the ' _Stone Queen_ ': forever unable to allow petty, useless emotions such as love to disturb her tired, emaciated soul.

The last emotion Satsuki ever allowed herself to feel was the harsh sting of remorse, laced with searing regret. Because she knew, deep down inside…right next to her frigid heart, where lies simply could not survive her unerring scrutiny for long…Satsuki _knew_ full well that she was guilty of being the worst thing of all…her own worst nightmare come to life.

 _She was a fool._

-Fin-


	5. - Divergence -

\- Divergence -

* * *

What if Kiryuin Satsuki was completely possessed by her life fibers? What if her capacity for sheer evil outstripped even Kiryuin Ragyo herself? Who could possibly stop the warrior born from achieving her ultimate destiny?

The answer would frighten Matoi Ryuko most of all…

* * *

This loose thread diverges from chapter fifteen of 'Love and War' (Gravity), when Satsuki wakes up after her dormant life fibers are activated. Here, things take a perilous turn for the worse.

* * *

"Oh, I do _love_ your new eyes, by the way. They are far prettier than they ever were!"

Satsuki's head snapped up from her tactical introspection. "What? What _about_ my damned eyes? So help me, Matoi! I swear…I should just-"

Satsuki suddenly sprang up and bolted past her sister, towards the master bathroom and the expansive mirror located within. Skidding to a halt, she hastily slammed on the wall switch to illuminate her glaring face. Twitching cobalt eyes stared back at her; octagonal star-shaped pupils, eight ragged points of which were emanating from the center of each eye, contracting and quivering as Satsuki took in the irrefutable ocular evidence of her recently forced hybridization.

"I like your eyes better, really. My little eye spokes are outright boring, compared to yours! I mean, come on: 'starry eyes', right? Oh, my dear Satsuki-sama, they are simply _gorgeous_ , just like the rest of you! I won't lie, I am positively jealous! I'll tell you one thing...I am reaching for the stars, in more ways than one!" Ryuko cheerily lurked around the corner of the door, her own gear-shaped pupils twinkling merrily in open admiration of these new fiber-triggered enhancements.

Hot tears suddenly cascaded out from Satsuki's transformed orbs, and her fists clenched with incandescent rage as the full reality of the situation finally crashed head-on into her raging brain. Veins strained and bulged in her arms, her temples, and her neck as tendons of titanium strength groaned and creaked within her new, fearsomely lethal frame.

Historically speaking, there were very few recorded instances of Lady Kiryuin Satsuki completely losing her composure. She had always prided herself upon exerting absolute control of her faculties in all situations, and at all times. Even when infuriated, she purposefully left a core of rational cool in charge of her actions…it was all part of surviving successfully under Kiryuin Ragyo's maddeningly abusive aura.

Here and now though, all traces of self-control were swept away in a blistering flood of supercharged adrenaline as Satsuki proceeded to blow her ever-loving top in a catastrophically volcanic fashion. A supersonic fist blasted through the bathroom's thick marble countertop, exploding in a cloud of annihilated rock as she managed to unleash a terrifyingly piercing screech, laced with stinging hurt and unfathomable fury.

Satsuki then looked up to catch a quick glimpse of her own violently enraged self, reflected in the cold mirror before her. She could no longer recognize what it was that she now saw in that reflection, and it wasn't simply because the mirror had just been shattered by the force of her own destroying hand; it was because someone _else's_ destroying hand had once again reached inside and shattered _her_ by force.

Her new life fibers took this opportune moment in time to suddenly and decisively overwhelm Satsuki's mental defenses while she was completely distracted by this exceedingly rare spate of nuclear rage, rushing to weave in and out of her cerebral cortex and burrow deep inside tender brain folds. The mind stitching effects were immediate, and Satsuki had no chance to put up her famous will to resist as they worked quickly to claim her iron psyche for their very own. Rare was the chance to take on such an incredibly powerful human mind and succeed: they could sense just how impossible this task would have been at any other moment, so they instinctually struck while the odds were momentarily in their favor.

The newly-minted Kiryuin hybrid suddenly felt a cold _-snap-_ deep inside her exploding brain, and her pyroclastic storm of pure fury was instantly frozen in place. Unable to move, she slowly turned her eyeballs towards the shattered reflection now before her. Floating as if from a great distance, she quietly observed her new eyes as they pulsed and twitched back at her. Finding herself enthralled by their uncanny alien shape, Satsuki stared deep into them until a new image slowly rewrote her vision. Within those eyes was a plan…a calling she could not hope to ignore…a new set of instincts that overrode all of her previously held beliefs and swept them away as effortlessly as a thin dusting of new-fallen snow.

She could now see the entire universe laid out within those bottomless eyes…and the abyss wasted no time in peering deep within her own soul as well. The abyss certainly liked what it saw within this extraordinary human shell, yet some things simply _had_ to change if it were to secure a more desirable future for itself…

What happened in the space of the next few moments was nothing more than accelerated rewriting, spontaneous tweaking, a grand reconditioning on the fly. A molecular slash-and-burn operation, followed by carefully cultivated new growth. Mental blocks were uprooted and expertly remolded into a more compliant image without sacrificing the power and intensity of the personality within. Satsuki was still Satsuki…it was the very definition of the entity known as 'Satsuki' herself that was now irrevocably changed by the life fibers' extensive mindscaping efforts.

Now…oh, how she could feel all of the wondrous fiber-enhanced connections enlightening her very being, as if a gloriously huge Christmas tree were finally plugged in after a long decorating spree. It was so obvious: the answer to _all_ her prayers, her secret desires and wildest dreams!

To secure order from chaos.

To wrest equilibrium from entropy itself.

It was so bloody simple! Lady Kiryuin Satsuki now had all of the tools necessary to bring about her envisioned utopia on Earth! People were, at their simplest, base creatures: ruled by atavistic instincts and mere superstition. A bit of carefully planned mental retrofitting for the masses would go quite a long way on this planet: with her impeccable planning and some choice recruitment procedures…? Why, _anything_ at all was now possible!

"Are you as in love with your new look as I am, Satsuki? Listen, I know it's a lot to take in, but you could be so courteous as to inform me about your current thoughts?"

Satsuki slowly turned towards her hybrid other, smiling gently as she met the inquisitive gaze with one of her own. She moved in perfectly executed rhythm, to prevent her other from being clued in and potentially mounting a defense from what had to come next.

 _'_ _Ah. The progenitor. Of course. I cannot risk having her in my way; she represents too many uncertain variables. There simply isn't enough room on this planet for_ _two_ _gods.'_

Striking too quickly for even a hybrid's enhanced eyes to see, Satsuki immediately smashed the vagus nerve within the side of Ryuko's neck with enough force to cause a savagely fierce somatic reflex, one which immediately paralyzed the young girl's body. She may have been an immensely powerful hybridized creature, but Matoi Ryuko was still quite rife with the most human of physical weak spots. Nerve strikes were no different, especially when delivered by a fist that could now effortlessly rend solid steel plates in the blink of a mutated eye.

"I'm sorry for this, Ryuko, I truly am. However, you are now simply a loose thread that needs to be tied off before you potentially unravel my grand tapestry."

Satsuki watched with distant fascination as Ryuko's quivering body slowly crumpled towards the ground, biological systems seizing up from the devastating pinpoint strike. She clinically observed that it was wise to go with a full-strength blow after all, rather than hold back as her own human instinct had dictated. Any other creature on Earth would have been instantly killed by such a tremendous blow, yet here Ryuko was: still alive and even mostly conscious! Satsuki could ill afford to hold back at this point, and she was already gratefully enjoying the expanded tactical knowledge granted to her by the life fibers now nesting deep within her cerebrum.

Ryuko's throat couldn't form any words; paralysis had spread throughout her chest, seizing up her diaphragm and immolating her spasmodic lungs from deep within. She choked and flopped as she desperately tried to brute force her own fibers into making up for this egregious failure to obey her own commands. Her eyes widened in sudden panic as she felt Satsuki's crosshairs settling upon her form, unable to even summon a defensive response as an armor-piercing Ippon Ken strike mercilessly targeted her solar plexus. This expertly placed blow violently dissipated any resistance she might have built up at that point: Ryuko unceremoniously crumpled to the floor as though she were cruelly singled out by the very force of gravity itself.

"The greater the rage, the deeper the emotion, the greater the bond between fiber and host. Young one, you cannot _possibly_ fathom the massive build-up of my lifetime's anger and frustration! So you think having Junketsu sewed into your flesh for a brief while was _traumatic_ …? Oh, you _poor_ girl! My own mother raped me for _years_ with those damnable harpy talons of hers, while I had to force every single hint of my own discomfort down, far below the surface…drowning my very soul as a result! Now, though…I am _glad_ I did so, for it has allowed the bond with my new fibers to become absolutely indomitable! The unimaginable hardships I once suffered are now the key to saving this wretched _planet_."

Ryuko choked as panic started to set in; a fight-or-flight response was jamming an instinctual pedal right to the floor, but all her racing mind could do was spin uselessly in place as her limbs stubbornly refused to respond to her internally screaming efforts.

"Your embedded life fibers inherit properties from the tissues they emulate. It is plainly obvious that you're using yours to greatly augment muscle and nerve tissue. However, nerve strikes are _just_ as effective on your body now as they were before. How can you _not_ be aware of this, child? All of this incredible power at your fingertips, and you're still just a babe in the woods, it seems. Just like when we first met."

Satsuki leaned forward and viciously entwined her steel fist into Ryuko's dark mop of hair. Then, breathing deep, she forcefully hurled the young girl's face directly towards the floor, splitting the back of the couch in the process as the house shook from the tremendous impact. A strangled squawk was all that escaped from Ryuko's limp form as she pathetically twitched inside the splintered crater that had now been formed in the floor.

Disgusted, Satsuki grimaced. Not from concern or revulsion, but rather from the aggravating fact that it would take more than one shot to accomplish what she had in mind. Frustrating, but it seemed that the house _was_ rather well built. Drawing her sister's beaten form up once again, she then focused her _ki_ and hammered the skull into the floor again with incredible concussive force. The carpet collapsed into the sinkhole that now took up the entirety of the den's floor as she rode Ryuko's prostrate form into the downstairs garage, like a hapless piece of driftwood plowing headlong into rushing rapids.

They fell, with Ryuko's body taking the brunt of the impact and Satsuki rolling away at the last moment in a practiced, graceful sweep. Satsuki then took stock of the pathetic heap now before her on the cold concrete floor, glistening black blood seeping out in an ever-widening pool. She sniffed, then reached out with keen hearing, carefully studying her target's current condition.

 _'_ _Hmm. Thought so! Playing possum, trying to buy some time and build up strength? Pathetic. Can't hide anything from_ _me_ _, foolish girl...'_

Eyes narrowing and nostrils flaring, she drew back her boot and expertly buried a lightning heel strike right into Ryuko's left kidney. Paroxysms of agony exploded from within her inert form as Ryuko's body suddenly arced up, eyes rolling back white and fingers haphazardly clenching into crooked fists. No sound passed from her lips, yet Satsuki could gauge the exact amount of catastrophic damage she had just caused anyways. She found that her new eyes could actually perceive the unique patterns of energy flowing through the wounded hybrid's quivering body and subsequently detect where it had been expertly disrupted by her surgically precise strikes as well.

Struggling to open her clenched eyes, Ryuko eventually came to just enough to shakily wipe the blur of tears away from her tunnel vision. Peering up, she sniffled as she took in the ghastly sight of the creature formerly known as her loving onee-sama, her dear 'Softy Satsuki'…the love of her life. It would appear that Ryuko had grossly miscalculated exactly what would result from reigniting the full life fiber capacity of her fanatically trained warrior sister…a fact that she was learning in the most painful way possible.

Satsuki glanced around the garage, then sneered balefully as her eyes settled upon Ryuko's beloved motorcycle. Sighing to herself, she hefted its weight easily as she carefully examined the garage walls. Nodding ever so slightly to herself, Satsuki then drew the bike back and hurled it into the back wall of the garage with unbelievable strength. A deafening explosion assaulted the two hybrids, violently blowing back hair and loose clothing as the shockwave ripped through the enclosed area. One of the garage doors was torn clean off from its bent frame as the concussive blast viciously blew through the room's confined space.

Fingers rubbing sore, hypersensitive ears, Satsuki daintily picked through the twisted wreckage of the smoking crater, poking around in the newly created rubble for a specific item or three. Horrendous screeching noises filled the air as she located and then yanked out several rebar rods from the ruptured wall's reinforced concrete.

Ryuko had managed to utilize the momentum of the explosion to roll herself over, and was now gasping for air on her back as she begged her life fibers to hurry the fuck _up_ and repair the damage to her shredded flesh. Her body glittered in the dark as it slowly healed, but there was so very much trauma to recover from…and the unified reddish glow of her overworked fibers only served at this point to dimly illuminate the cobalt-hued monster that slowly stalked out of the darkened rear of the garage.

Ropes of wriggling fibers quivered to and fro just under the pale alabaster of Kiryuin Satsuki's neck and upper chest, bringing to mind active maggots under gray corpse-skin. Blackened soot from the gasoline fire clung haphazardly to gaunt, white cheeks. Fearfully glowing sapphire irises pulsed around gaping pupils of nothing…only a vacant abyss lay within those dark, ragged eyes.

Satsuki methodically twisted and broke bar after bar, working them into long jagged stakes as she prepared the next step of her sinister plan. Ryuko slowly started to shake her head, whispering tremulously to herself as she eventually pieced together what was coming next. Her libs twitched weakly as an autonomic response, but there simply wasn't enough time to dodge as the first spike slammed through her ankle and deep into the concrete beneath. Bolt after makeshift bolt was ruthlessly pierced through flesh into hardened concrete, splaying Ryuko's body out like a crazed entomologist's favorite crimson butterfly.

"I can't kill you. I know that now. After consulting with my own fibers, I have intuited the true duality of their new nature, and so it seems that we must breed in order to create enough new fibers to carry out my plans. However, I won't be taking any chances with you, either. You have proved to be most resilient and crafty in the past, so I had to resort to this loathsome act of barbaric savagery until a more permanent solution can be crafted."

Satsuki grinned as she knelt before the trapped hybrid, the sounds of Ryuko's pathetic mewling and sputtering filling the air as she gently caressed one blood-caked cheek. She then roughly squeezed Ryuko's cheeks together, then forced the mutilated girl's skull to slowly roll one way, then the other. A few moments of intense scrutiny later and Satsuki quickly stood up, satisfied that she had arranged for more than enough time to put the next stage of her plan into motion.

Ryuko swam in and out of consciousness; at first fading out, then jerking awake suddenly as waves of terrible agony ripped through her body once again. She tried to raise her head to take stock of her situation, then wearily dropped it back onto the floor once the desperate nature of her situation was finally realized. Rebar spears had been mercilessly driven through her ankles, knees, hips, shoulders and finally wrists. There was no leverage to be had from this position, and no strength behind her efforts…she had simply lost too much blood for the time being. Puffy tongue licked over dry lips as she wished for a torrent of warm, tangy blood to refill her pitifully weakened body…oh, how _sweet_ that would be!

Her ears pricked up as she suddenly picked out the desperate wailing of her murderous sibling, somewhere up above her. Satsuki was talking to someone, and her animated voice was erratic and filled with obvious worry. Was…was she having a sudden change of heart? Was she arranging for assistance, to get her dearest imoutu-chan back on her feet again? Perhaps the life fiber activation had just shocked Satsuki's overwhelmed system, and it was just now wearing off? Ryuko concentrated past her agony to focus her sharp hearing upon the words as they lilted past her ears.

"…no, you don't _understand_ , Inumuta! It's a damned warzone in here! Yes! She went absolutely berserk! I had to…to use extreme methods to subdue her, she was… _*choke*_ …not herself anymore! It…yes, assume that the worst-case scenario has, in fact, arrived. It's _them_ …those damned fibers are now actively seeking to override my beloved sister! Please, get here as soon as possible! What…? **_No!_** Do _not_ summon the others! Swear to me that you will keep this to yourself, until we work out a sustainable plan of action for her! Yes! Yes…oh, thank you from the bottom of my heart, my old friend. Yes, this _has_ been a most horrible turn of events. Nevertheless, we shall prevail! She means everything to me! We _will_ find a way, I swear it! Please, help me save her from this terrible situation! Yes, of course. I will wait here until you arrive. Then we shall do what we can for my poor, sweet Ryuko-chan. Do not tarry! Of course, thank you once again. I look forward to your arrival…my friend…"

A quick _-beep-_ then signified the termination of the phone call. Ryuko strained to discern any more sounds or movements from above, then was suddenly shocked when Satsuki silently dropped down from the gaping hole in the ceiling, heels landing right next to her head with harsh clicks.

"Help will be arriving soon. You just sit tight…not that you have a choice in the matter, anyways." Satsuki's demeanor switched from nervous and worrisome to the deadest of arctic cold in an instant. Ryuko shivered involuntarily, attempted to gather her scattered thoughts and then tried to reach out to her sibling with an even, measured voice.

"Help…for me, then? Are you going to help me out of this mess? I'm in a * _gasp*_ a…most _terrible_ amount of pain here, Satsuki…I fear that I haven't much blood left in this body! Would you be so kind as to help me up so we can please discuss this rationally?"

Satsuki's calm gaze crawled over Ryuko's bloody, prostrate form, then slowly shook her head. "Not just yet. Accommodations have to be made, and for that I will need Inumuta's technical expertise."

"Then call Mikisugi! You'll n-need a medical specialist who is familiar with m-my… _our_ unique physiology! I…I'm certain that if…if you just-"

"I don't need the attention of a doctor for what I have in mind, Ryuko. I need the skills of a _warden_."

Blinking rapidly from copious streams of tears that now filled her vision, Ryuko struggled to make sense of what her dear sister had just said and done. Quivering fingers splayed out to grasp against the slick blood on the concrete, but solid purchase simply could not be found within this most slippery mix of gore and rubble. Her head was shaking from the deepening shock, creating the illusion that Ryuko was stubbornly disagreeing with this travesty…not that she _did_ agree with this turn of events in any way whatsoever, but the tremors were entirely involuntary in nature. This confused delirium was making it hard to think and even harder to respond, with only unrecognizable vocalizations making it past her grimacing lips.

Ryuko struggled valiantly to stay awake, but overwhelming amounts of shock and blood loss eventually sapped her consciousness away. She floated in and out, her awareness ebbing and flowing like tides under a full blood moon. Occasional fragments of occurrences came together within the narrative of her sluggish mind: a door slamming, fervent exclamations followed by heated language…then a harsh, wet choking sound, which was immediately followed by a sudden and inexplicable silence.

The mysterious silence was eventually broken by sudden bursts of talking, and the urgency of the previous conversation had been replaced wholesale by unnervingly calm and detached observations. Inumuta's familiar voice was now filling the room, and Ryuko struggled to focus intently upon it to intuit exactly what was transpiring around her.

"I can gather what I need from the materials laboratory. I'll need to focus upon the life fiber nullification aspects first, but I believe I have what information I require from her previous medical examination records. It should be no problem to rig up a stasis harness that will do exactly as you wish."

"Excellent. See to it that this is done as quickly as possible. We only need to ensure that she remain where she is kept for the time being, we can worry about perfecting the restraint system later."

"Yes, your will be done, My Lord! I shall begin right away."

"See that you do, Inumuta. My plans all hinge upon her ensured future immobility! Go, now."

"I shall obey, My Lord. I will take my leave, and shall keep you informed of my progress."

"Very well. Fly forth with great haste…and my most sacred of blessings."

"… _thank_ you, My Lord!"

The door slammed again as Ryuko shifted and squirmed uncomfortably on the cold floor, trying in vain to make sense of her eavesdropping even as she struggled uselessly against the cruel metal pins. _'Exactly what in the_ _hell_ _is going on around here? Did he just say 'My Lord'…meaning…meaning Satsuki?'_

Kiryuin Satsuki's somber voice pierced the quiet of the garage, stunning Ryuko into momentary stillness. Quiet as a tomb, she had drawn close to the helpless girl without the slightest hint of detection, and this fact disturbed Ryuko almost as much as the bleak, chilling words that now poured forth from the frigid fiber queen's smirking lips.

"Why yes, Ryuko, he did! He has been properly indoctrinated, so we are now on the same blessed wavelength. I _am_ now the preeminent creature on this planet, so he may as well address me as a god. Oh? Why act so surprised? Yes, yes…I can see it now. You simply don't know, do you? You see, telepathy is but one of the many abilities granted by our unique level of hybrid fiber melding. It involves particular frequency vibrations and a certain type of quantum tunneling…but I certainly don't expect _you_ of all people to understand such nuanced and complex things! I'm learning new facts at an extraordinarily accelerated pace now… _they_ are working to diligently fill me in on all of the glorious possibilities that you could _never_ hope to grasp!"

Incendiary rage suddenly flared from deep within Matoi Ryuko's breast. Fanged teeth ground together noisily as she gnashed and cursed at her captor. The grievous injuries were certainly bad enough, but this undeserved condescension was the final straw!

"How _dare_ you speak to me in such a dismissive manner?! I figured all of this out first! I'm bringing this all to fruition! I arranged this, made this all possible! Don't think you can just callously dismiss me when _I'm_ the real hero in all of thi-"

"I _can_ and I _will!_ I have already deciphered more from my own fibers in a few moments than you could ever glean from yours in months! I am better suited to this task in every conceivable way! Perhaps I _do_ owe you in some way for this enlightenment. Nevertheless, just because you stumbled upon the keys to salvation does _not_ mean you are fit to turn the lock!"

Ryuko could form no words, as shocked as she was by this unexpected turn of events. The Kiryuin was certainly allowing this newfound power to go right to her head, wasn't she? Ryuko had glorious plans for conquering this planet and beyond! Why, this foolish upstart was going to ruin _everything!_

"Nonsense, you petulant child. I shall ruin _nothing_. I am Kiryuin Satsuki! I have been chosen by divine providence, not you! It is _my_ fate to rule over all. I alone shall lead this planet to true salvation!"

"But you _need_ me! You can't just… _take_ this away from me like that! We are meant to rule together! That's why we are both required to breed the new fibers! _It is our destiny!_ "

Satsuki threw her head back and uttered a dry laugh, devoid of mirth or humor. "Oh, I ' _need'_ you, do I? Why yes, this is technically true. I shall have need of your fibers…however, _you_ will require neither freedom nor liberation to fulfill this part of our shared destiny! All I need is for you to be _alive_. Inumuta's first task is to create a permanent way for this to be possible."

"But they…they spoke to me first! I have all the ways, the plans to succeed in my head! We have been planning this! You cannot just rob me of my fiber-given birthright to guide this planet to a utopian future! I am the Alpha! I am the first of us! I am _stronger_ than you! You need to find a way to respect my glorious plans and treat me as an equal in this blessed endeavor!"

"What, and allow you to dally, to waste precious time by underestimating their true value? Did you think them to be mere strings, forced to eke out a secret existence by leeching off power from superior life forms? They are a vast and powerful collective, and I am now their living conduit. Matoi, they are one of the oldest life forms in the entire universe. You simply cannot possibly fathom the extent of their abilities! _But I can._ You may be the Alpha, but I am the Omega: there shall be none after me, for I represent the very pinnacle itself! I'm not a three-star or even a ten-star! I am now _all_ of the stars! I possess clearer intellect and vision from far above your own paltry imagination. Just like at the Academy, my position is far higher than yours, both in finer understanding and intuitive recognition of their true potential. You have such a simplistic and unimaginative view from down there, in the gutter. You always have…and do you know what _else_ belongs in the gutter? Worthless _trash_."

Satsuki's cruel words bit deeply into Ryuko's throbbing heart, working past the fibers' iron control and savaging the personal core of her very human emotions. The pain of this coldest betrayal was far harder to handle than the agony of severed nerves and steel-pinned flesh. Pain and its effects were a constant in her rough life, but Ryuko had never been able to build up nearly as impervious of an emotional wall to _this_ kind of abuse. Bitter tears flowed freely as she stared unbelieving into her sister's dark, emotionless eyes.

"I…I am _not_ trash! I have great value in this undertaking! I have wonderful plans and ideas, and I won't let you-"

A supersonic fist suddenly crashed down, shattering Ryuko's nose into a gory splatter of overwhelming agony. The pinned hybrid suddenly found herself choking on her own gushing blood, and she distantly wondered how she even had any _left_ to shed as chromatic spots swam and phantom noises swirled dizzily around her. Satsuki casually wiped the back of her knuckles on a part of Ryuko's unsullied pants, her shark-like eyes gleaming in the low light.

"You don't get to dictate _anything_ anymore, you incompetent creature. The very moment you chose to activate _my_ dormant legacy, yours drew to an ignominious end! This sacred undertaking is simply too damned important to risk in the hands of such an amateur. This is to be a worldwide _epiphany_ , child! We will not gamble our fates upon your paltry skills and inadequate intellect!"

The coldest pit of worry grew exponentially within Ryuko's belly. This was bad… _really_ bad. The life fibers had stolen Satsuki's gentle soul away and replaced it with a cold, logical engine of scheming and destruction. The fact that Satsuki intended upon keeping her _own_ glorious self in some sort of captive stasis was chipping away at her very sanity. Regrettably, it was now time to plea for mercy.

"Surely I…can still serve the cause in some capacity? We _do_ have the same goals in mind, after all? I don't necessarily have to be the one in charge of our destiny, as long as we eventually get there! I can see the logic in that, surely you can do the same?"

The answer came in the form of a boot pressed to her chest. The crushing weight intensified relentlessly as Satsuki's lilting voice spelled out crystal-clearest intentions to her now-captive sibling.

"Oh, that would be convenient for you, now wouldn't it? Perhaps even give you enough time to scheme against me, consolidate your resources and try to someday steal back the ultimate power I now command? Utter nonsense. You possess no tactical insight I can utilize, no technical skill or unique ability to barter with for your freedom. I now find that all the things you happen to be good at are things I have no real use for anymore. What good are the concepts of 'love' or 'sex' to one who has willingly excised such petty distractions from her own superior psyche? No, you are now only fit to be a breeding platform for our future life fibers. They have a sacred destiny to fulfill, as do I. You may as well just relent and accept it, child. _This_ is what fate now has in store for you."

The oxygen left Ryuko's lungs altogether at hearing these words, leaving a screaming, smothering heat in place that simply could not be extinguished. Her life fibers could heal any injury, _any_ trauma, yet could do naught for the breaking of her human heart, nor cushion the blow of the existential crisis that was now rearing its ugly head. Raw panic now ran full speed through her head, and it was only the force of Satsuki's titanium grip suddenly clamping down upon her jaw that stopped her undulating moans from becoming full-blown screams.

" _Quiet_ , you shameless pig. You have a most sacred duty now, so you should be feeling quite honored! In fact, I'll need to start breeding more fibers right away for what I have in mind. I need to sway our dearest comrades to our new cause before we can start planning our planetary conquest in earnest. They shall serve me more fervently than they ever did before, once my new fibers properly inhabit their mortal forms! I'll bet that you don't even know of all the ways I can extract what I need from your body, do you? There are _many_ ways, my dear Ryuko, and only your respectful behavior from now on will prevent the most unpleasant ones from being exploited in the future. Try to accept your new station in life appropriately, hmm? Here, we shall start with the more pleasurable ones first. Perhaps by making you feel better, it will serve to put your terrible pain at rest and thusly make you more complacent? I promise you that this primitive immobilization is temporary, if a necessary evil for now. Once Inumuta comes up with a more technologically safe and sound way to keep you in your proper place, I'm sure you will learn to take comfort in that blessed relief…eventually. I _would_ offer you the idea that this will be over soon…but alas, I fear that concept shall never become true for long. Now, stay still and allow me to force the truth of the matter into you…as I begin to rape the future _out_ of you."

In the following weeks, months and then finally years, Matoi Ryuko would learn that the concept of hell could take many forms, and that pleasure could also conceivably be used as a weapon against her very mind. She would learn that the insidious manipulations of Kiryuin Ragyo and Harime Nui were _not_ the worst things that could possibly happen to her by a long shot.

Ryuko would learn that her incredible stubbornness and vaunted willpower were not absolutes, and that even she could eventually be brought low by the relentless machinations of a determined and utterly compassionless Kiryuin Satsuki, fiber anointed heir to the world and beyond. The girl who could not be broken would instead find herself to be completely shattered, mind and flesh raped into oblivion as Satsuki slowly conquered her very soul in the inexorable quest for total compliance.

They were hard lessons to learn, and Ryuko would spend the rest of her days silently cursing her blind stupidity for not anticipating something like this from happening in advance. Once she found her _own_ embedded life fibers mutinously swaying in rhythm to Satsuki's overriding presence, then and _only_ then did Ryuko allow her last hopes of escape from hell to finally evaporate, along with any pent-up rebelliousness that still lurked deep within her haunted soul.

With no one there to help her, to protect and guide her with their loving concern…she would crash and burn upon reentry like an ill-fated shooting star.

This time, there would be no heroic savior to catch her as she fell from grace.

The poor girl had finally lost her way for the last time.

* * *

The hybrid being known as Matoi Ryuko managed to live for another fifty-seven years before finally expiring. It wasn't due to disease, illness or even from a lack of will, but rather that her usefulness had at last finally outlived itself. Scientific research had finally advanced to the point where preserving her mortal husk for fiber breeding purposes was deemed to be unnecessary: advanced genetic splicing techniques had now made her a cast-away idea, a quaint and antique notion from an earlier era. Feeding tubes eventually ceased to flow with the giving nectar of crimson life: the order from above had been received to allow her to slowly pass away naturally…or as natural a death as could possibly be expected to befall such a unique hybrid creature. Her body aged quickly, once the nutrients stopped flowing and her life fibers started to suffer from the weight of accumulated time.

Her death took months: life fibers were notoriously stubborn, as was their embedded will to survive at any and all costs. They rationed what subsistence they could from her flesh, her tissues, her very bones. She pleaded and begged the gods for the reaper's kiss...it couldn't come soon enough. It would arrive far too late to save her from experiencing this living death, this inescapable nightmare made flesh.

Hallucinations became more frequent, with fevered thoughts blurring the line between the agony of reality and the allure of escapist fantasy. In her first dreams of distraction she lived a blessed life, revered as savior to all mankind: the true uniting force of peace on the planet. Then, as neurons were eventually scavenged, they dwindled into simpler terms. Imagined daydreams of living in loving peace with Satsuki, or sometimes Mako…but always, _always_ with Senketsu alive and well at her side; all had turned out for the best, and she could experience no wrong, no hardships. Just the warmth of love and safety at her fingertips.

The ability to conjure such details eventually slipped away, and so she ended up focusing upon cruder, easier to understand sensations instead. Warm beaches, sand between toes. Winning a race. Hot cocoa on a cold night. Melting ice cream on lips. Radiant heat within a lover's urgent kiss. Warmth under blankets.

Harder to breathe. Harder to perceive anything. Sensed dulled, failed, then wore away altogether. Sight was but a distant memory, yet impossible colors swirled and flitted about to taunt her in her sacred oubliette anyways. Hearing was taking longer to go, but it was hard to tell: all there was to really listen to now were the occasional pneumatic whooshing of faraway doors, the mundane creaks of an ever-settling building foundation, and the mind-numbingly constant white noise of ventilation ducts.

Ryuko then had the clearest perception of an event that she was certain must have been real: Kiryuin Satsuki herself had come down to speak to her decrepit sister's withered form, ennui and regret dripping from tenderly spoken words. How she had missed her beloved imouto-chan so, and that life had become terribly boring without her _other_ to keep her company. That occasional bouts of sentimentality had frequented her psyche since conquering the entire planet's population, and that monitoring daily breeding and building reports had lost their initial charm. That she craved the company of someone special to share in her final triumph.

How Satsuki wished that it could have turned out any other way. How she quietly admitted that she did what she did to remove the one and only obstacle that could have possibly distracted her from achieving worldwide domination. How it was absolutely crucial that she concentrate every fiber, every single molecule of her very being on the bigger picture…and that personal sacrifice was regrettably necessary in the line of her solemn duty.

She had learned to sacrifice at an early age, she said, and that if her sweet Ryuko could willingly and purposely be removed from the equation, then nothing else could _possibly_ matter enough to sway her iron determination. It was simply _too_ important, the march to save humanity from itself…her resolve could not afford to be tempted by the love that her sweet Ryuko-chan represented.

That decades of loneliness had finally driven her to seek absolution from her dear sibling, whom she still loved dearly. How it was still scientifically possible to revive her love, so she could take her place at Satsuki's side as rightful ruler of Earth, and that deep down she wanted this to happen more than anything.

How she needed to admit all of these things in private, in absolute secrecy…now, before the mandatory behavior inhibitors kicked in and purged all traces of errant, traitorous thoughts from her mind, as well as from the rest of the new human hybrid population. To control the last vestiges of the notoriously rebellious human spirit. To make humans more like them, like the life fibers themselves. A united hive, controlled by the queen herself…with no risk of useless emotions getting in the way.

How this was to be the final test of their efficacy. Oh, how Satsuki hoped that it would erase her guilty conscience! How sad it was that she was crying for the first time in decades, and that hot tears were now falling unbidden onto her dear love's desiccated, mottled skin. Ryuko had felt the vague outline of these tears as they traced their way down her scrawny neck, her hollow cheeks and pitted brow. She wanted to cry her own tears in response, but none could be produced.

Though Ryuko could no longer see through geared pupils, those blue skies were long since clouded-over and useless…she could feel and hear the drops of moisture as they slowly rained down. She could also perceive the piteous gasps and sobs from her dear Satsuki-sama's forever-young lips. Ryuko wanted nothing more than to console her sweetest love, but audible speech hadn't been possible from her atrophied vocal cords for some time now.

Her withered hand moved ever-so-slightly towards her dear onee-chan's general direction. To provide comfort. To grant forgiveness. To apologize for all that she had done to accidentally bring about this awful future. She internally screamed for some sign of acknowledgment, even the gentlest of caresses would have been sufficient. Ryuko was now quite certain that she would die without it.

Instead, she felt a heavy sheet settling over her decrepit form. The rough texture confused her; she had been hoping against all hope to feel Satsuki's delicate skin again after so many years of trying to recall a semblance of what is was like…and this certainly was _not_ it. A brief choke was heard from above, then silence.

Finally a door was opened, then Satsuki's quiet yet intense voice filled the room. The abrupt chirp of an electronic communicator was heard, and Ryuko's feeble heart contracted painfully at the words that now emanated from Satsuki's lips.

"Inform them that the trial was a complete success. If it worked on me, then it shall surely work on anyone. Distribute it to the masses at once! Let there be no delay."

Then, whispered gently into Ryuko's ear were words that, once perceived and understood, finally put a sudden and permanent stop to her fragile heart's weak pulsations.

"Fear…is freedom. Subjugation…is liberation. Contradiction…is truth."

 _"_ _Life…is death."_


	6. - Part of Me -

\- Part of Me -

* * *

"Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage." - Lao Tzu

* * *

"Senketsu?"

"Yes, Ryuko?"

"We are _never_ speaking of this day again! Never! D'ya hear me?"

"I absolutely understand. I will not want to remember it, either."

Ryuko gasped and panted as she furtively made her way down yet another seedy back alley. Flesh screamed and bones ached from the horrific beating that Sanageyama Uzu had just unleased upon her unsuspecting behind, and now Ryuko was paying the full, painful price for her foolish hubris. The recently thrashed punk could feel the outline of every sword strike upon her beaten torso: she had the distinct feeling that her skin was going to look like camouflaged bruise print come the morning.

It was bad enough that she had lost: if Matoi Ryuko was anything, she was intensely competitive, and the very _thought_ of losing to such a smarmy, arrogant jackass stung just as much as the sweat that was now seeping into her ruptured skin. But now she had managed to miss the trolley back to her adopted home district as well, so she had to limp painfully from shadow to shadow, wincing with every hesitant step.

"Ryuko. Why don't we simply wait for the next trolley? It's only an hour-long wait, and you can rest and gather your strength in the meantime. I'm very worried about you!" Senketsu's resonating voice filled Ryuko's ears once again in a vain attempt to soothe the traumatized youth's frustration. Her eyes were squeezed into pained slits as she gingerly felt along her elbow, wondering if it might be dislocated yet again. The frailties of the human body were now quite evident to the lone drifter; her body was often outstripped by the tenacious will to succeed at any cost. Her legendary 'punch first, ask questions later' attitude would have to be reined in just a bit if she was going to make any headway in _this_ crazy island town.

"You don't understand, Senketsu! If any street punk sees me like _this_ , it'll be like throwing meat to a pack of hungry wolves! Listen, I just got my ass handed to me, in case you somehow missed it? All it'll take is one brave asshole to permanently take me down in this condition! I can't afford to take that chance! If I can just sneak my way back home, then we can rest easy. But until then, it's important that I avoid any street scuffles! I'm about to faint as it is!"

"Yes, I think I understand. You have certainly lost a great deal of blood, and I fear that I would not be able to offer much assistance right now if fighting were to break out again. Let us then focus upon getting home in one piece."

"Right! The way I figure it, we should be home before sundown…provided that stupid gang of chuckleheads isn't at the mall today? I just _knew_ I shoulda kicked all their asses once I started living in that neighborhood!"

"We will make it, Ryuko. I have faith in your abilities!"

"Yeah, that's good to hear. Though I'd feel better if I didn't just completely blow it with that damned Athletics Chair idiot! I gotta be sneakier around those weirdos if I'm gonna have a shot at kicking that Kiryuin chick's ass! Ugh! She gets an entire army of goons, and what do I get? A single friggin' Scissor Blade! Damn it all, it's so unfair!"

"You do _not_ only have a single blade at your side, Ryuko. You have me as well!"

"Oh, uh…I meant besides you, Senketsu! Sorry, I'm just so…so _mad_ at myself! How am I gonna pull this off? I _have_ to learn the secret behind my Dad's death. I can't fail at this, I just can't! But the odds are so slim! Rrrgh! Me and my cursed life!"

"Ryuko! Please calm down. The odds are in _our_ favor…and do you know why?"

"Um…no, I don't think we're usin' the same math. How do you figure?"

"Because our bond cannot be broken by petty thieves and lackeys, Ryuko. We are true friends, and they are not. They shall each crumble and fall before our combined might!"

"Gosh, ya really think so?"

"Of course! It is our destiny as friends to stick through it to the bitter end! They simply cannot hope to break us, Ryuko…for we have each other to rely upon. Our bond is forged in a way that Kiryuin Satsuki cannot possibly hope to conquer!"

With this, Senketsu carefully modulated his folds to grasp Ryuko's form with a tender embrace. It wasn't a general tightening of creases and such, as per his usual acknowledgment method. No, this was the unmistakable caress of someone who truly cared for her, manifesting in a most palpable manner. She felt ghost limbs circling around her frame, and shivered once and then again from their gentle touch.

" _*gasp*_ How…how the heck are you _doing_ that? Oh my God, this feels like…like you're really-"

Her subconscious suddenly flew back, automatically seeking a point in time with which to compare these unreal sensations, and Ryuko was disconcerted to find that she was actually having a hard time accomplishing this simple thing. When _was_ the last time she experienced a genuine hug from someone like this…well, one that wasn't designed to crush her to death, anyways? It was…lessee here, oh! It was nearly two years ago, when her dad last allowed her to come home for Christmas! Yeah, he gave her a big, warm hug as he dropped her off at the train station! She remembered it now, that vigorous squeeze…his lanky arms squishing her wiry self within a pythonesque grip. The scratch of unshorn beard against her flushed cheek. The hollow echo of a quiet choke that was quickly covered up by the harsh, hacking cough that followed. It was merely the dry weather, he exclaimed, and nothing more.

Yeah. _That_ hug. It was the last time she remembered feeling truly loved by someone else. Ryuko almost felt like he would change his mind and ask her to stay home…but that never came to pass, as usual. What a dumb daydream to have. The holiday season…yeah, _that_ was the reason for such useless sentimentality! Yep. _Had_ to be.

Dad would never again hug her with such urgency, such raw emotion: Ryuko suddenly realized this fact in between skipping heartbeats. She already knew this, of course…but facts had a way of smacking her from behind like an inattentive driver in traffic whenever she slowed down to think about the cruel truth of her reality.

Ow. Ow?! Quit it! Stupid _heart._ Always stabbing away at her insides when she wasn't prepared for it. Damn it, that stings! Agh…fuck off! Stop… _feeling_ …stuff like that! _Focus, damn it!_

Focus she did: upon the chillingly realistic arms that now encircled her tired, lonely frame. This uncanny feeling was way too real, she couldn't possibly ignore it. Ryuko automatically tensed up, then slowly began to yield to the unrelenting warmth of Senketsu's gentle touch. Her breath hitched, then settled into a calmer rhythm as she finally allowed herself to bask within his loving, selfless attention.

The drifter known by some as Matoi Ryuko was as tough as they come. Mind forged of the purest steel, heart made of coldest stone. She didn't need _anyone's_ love in order to function…but she'd be damned if this didn't this feel really good right about now.

"Th-thanks, Senketsu. That _*sniff*_ feels real nice. I forgot just how good it feels to get a hug right when ya really need one. How do you know how to do this? Just…calm me down like that? No one's _ever_ been able to do that before!"

"I don't know, Ryuko. It just feels natural to show concern for the ones you care about. I care about you, of course…so I want to comfort you in times of stress! Is that not a normal thing to do?"

"Man, I dunno? I guess so. But you should know that I can be a real asshole at times. How do you know I won't get angry and toss you in some clothing donation box someday, huh? Aren't you ever scared of me doing something like that to you?"

"I refuse to believe that you could be that cruel, Ryuko. Perhaps President Kiryuin Satsuki is that kind of person, but I know that _you_ are not! You are far too decent and honorable a person to commit such an impulsive atrocity! You wouldn't do that to me. You are far too nice!"

"No, I guess I wouldn't…but it ain't because I'm 'nice'! I ain't nice! Don't you _ever_ call me that! People hear shit like that, and soon enough they'll mark you as a soft target! Then everyone shows up to take a shot at you, looking for yer weaknesses!"

"Perhaps. But surely not everyone is an enemy? While we do have our share of foes at the moment, I don't think it's necessary to act as though we were surrounded by evil at our every turn? I can sense that you are very stressed out right now, and I'd like you to focus upon calming down a little. I'm quite concerned about your current heart rate and blood pressure levels. Perhaps some breathing exercises can lower your-"

"Zip it! We got trouble!"

"Oh? How do you mean?"

"Over there, under that overhang. That tall, ugly baldy? He's the local gang leader. I've had words with him before…pretty sure he'll remember me, too. Thanks a lot, unforgettable red streak…"

"I don't recall meeting this person before?"

"Oh, it was while you were recuperating…y'know, after that jerk-ass soldier tried to kill you at school? Mako and I went to the mall to chill out while her mom scrubbed you. Let's just say that 'words were spoken', and that if I had you with me at the time, it wouldn't even be an issue anymore! But there were just too damned many of 'em, so me and Mako had to bail real quick! I've been meanin' to go and clear 'em all outta the mall, but I've been too busy."

"You had 'words' with them? What kind of words, Ryuko? Did you end up insulting them?"

"Ah…heh-heh, you could say that? C'mon, you probably learned by now that my mouth is a lethal weapon, all by itself! So mmmaybe I guessed out loud about their shameful family lineages…and pointed out some facts about their pathetic physical attributes? Okay, so I didn't realize there were fifteen _other_ dudes waiting in the wings to jump out at us while I royally pissed off their jackass boss!"

"Ryuko, it is most foolish to start fights when you are greatly outnumbered!"

"Oh, _pfft!_ Never stopped me before! But yeah, these guys are a total joke. I could clean 'em all out in one good, sweaty afternoon rumble. Group discounts are my specialty! But I couldn't get into a _real_ fight with Mako in tow, she coulda been hurt! I always fight alone, you know? So I retreated, while planning to come back and finish the job. I just thought I'd be better prepared when I faced them again…"

"Well Ryuko, you don't fight alone anymore! However, now is not the time! We are both far too weak at the moment. How shall we handle this situation?"

"Well, I'm not sure. We gotta go right past that mall entrance in order to get home…but that guy is like right _there_ , scoping out potential pickpocketing targets for his crew! Jerk is so tall, he can see all around this crowd. He's sure to have his pet goons lurking around too; they usually just work the crowd and steal wallets, or hold people up as they go in and out to shop. But we can't go all the way around, it would cost us at least another hour to go the other way! This island had some really stupid architects, that's for sure! I don't know if I can last that long…I ain't feelin' so good right-"

"Yo! Sugar-Tits! With the streaky hair! Yeah, you! Come 'ere a minute, baby! I wanna talk to you."

"…oh, _shit_. Here comes one of the rat bastards now."

"What should we do, Ryuko? Shall we flee?"

"Naw, it'll just cause a ruckus if I try to bail now. Can't outrun anybody in this condition, let alone an entire gang. I'll play it by ear."

" _But-_ "

"Hush up, Senketsu! Don't distract me with your babbling! Trust me, I got this!"

She recognized the cocky swagger as he approached. So full of himself…this was a guy used to getting his own way. The street punk towered over Ryuko's form, casting a shadow as he leered at her through mirrored shades. He chewed upon his toothpick for a moment, taking in the sights before propositioning the cute, young vagabond.

"Ain't seen _you_ around here before, baby! Got a boyfriend, eh? Maybe you need a boyfriend like me? I can protect you, maybe give you lots o' presents and clothes and shit, yeah? I mean as long as you do alllll the things a girlfriend would do wit' her man, of course. Ya feel me? Whaddaya say, cutie? Wanna hook up?"

"I got a guy in my life already, thanks. Listen, I gotta get home. I need to-"

"What you _need_ to do is to shut the fuck up and listen to me, sweetcheeks! Maybe you got a man, maybe you don't. But you ain't gotta man right now, eh? So maybe we can take the time to get to know each other, real sweet-like?"

Ryuko's lower lip trembled slightly as she found her back bumping against the wall, the street punk's thumb curled under her chin as he glared lasciviously down upon his prey. Her eyes darted around. No one in the vicinity gave the slightest indication that they cared about her dire situation as it was unfolding. Every single bystander was going about their own oblivious business, like herd animals wearing social blinders.

Typical. The 'bystander effect' was in full force today. Time to look out for herself, as usual. Ryuko put on her best shy and demure expression as she stared straight at the punk's shorts. He paused to follow Ryuko's line of sight, then grinned. Aw, yeah. She was so into him. It was going to be a good day, after all!

"Gosh, those are some really nice shorts you have on there, big guy. Play basketball much?"

The thug looked down, momentarily distracted by Ryuko's sudden shift in attitude. He smoothed out the silky polyester material, lecherously showing off his bulging manhood to his captive female audience. "Eh? Yeah, I play hoops, what's it to ya? You like a guy into sports, bab _eeEEE-_ "

 _"_ Bingo. _Monkey steals the peach!"_ Ryuko snarled to herself as she quickly latched onto his testicles, then yanked down and back brutally hard. The bigger they were, the harder they fell as the tough guy suddenly found himself assuming an involuntary, agony-induced kneeling position. He would have made it there, too, if it weren't for Ryuko's knee crashing into his jaw like a steel piston. A choked, wet cry was abruptly cut off as a savage punch expertly disrupted his trachea. The young vagabond wasn't formally trained as a martial artist, but she knew what worked in a street fight…nothing was off the table if she was fighting for her very life.

She expertly maneuvered his weight down as he collapsed, twisting his twitching form into a shop entrance alcove. The fetal ball failure now quivering before her was shamefully leaking substances that shouldn't ever be released by a civilized human in public. But he wasn't exactly civilized, now was he? No, he was a scumbag. Pure trash. She idly wondered with a slight smirk if the garbage collectors would pick _him_ up, come the evening.

"Ryuko, are you all right? Your heart rate is quite high right now, and you are also trembling as well!"

"M' fine, jus' a little post-fight adrenaline, that's all. Ugh. I feel so weak, I wanna just pass right out. We're lucky this guy ain't got better reflexes! 'Plays hoops', my ass! We'd better move on quick, before someone finds 'number one boyfriend material' over here."

"Understood. I just have one question."

"Yeah?"

"What did that strike have to do with 'monkeys' or 'peaches'? I don't understand these references."

"Uh…I'll… _*ahem*_ …I'll explain that one later. You have a lot to learn, Senketsu…but now ain't the time."

"Very well, Ryuko. Let us depart, then."

Ryuko made her way to the open air mall's entrance, glancing around furtively as she tried to spot any other gang members or their gargantuan boss. She looked up just as said boss was making his way past the entrance, with several minions in tow. With a cellphone pressed to his face, he seemed agitated as he effortlessly parted the crowd and made a beeline to where Ryuko had just been but a few moments ago.

"Oh, fuck. That ain't good. That asshole musta had his phone on him! If he can talk…"

"…then he will be able to provide our description to the others. Should we run for it, Ryuko?"

She squinted as she looked down the street. The intersection in the distance that lead to home was several hundred meters away, and she could see a few more gang members emerging from the far crowd, cellphones now in hand. She could run pretty darned fast, but not as fast as a cell signal could relay text information. She watched with a sinking feeling as they looked up from their phones, then started sweeping the crowd for something…or more accurately, some _one_.

For her, most likely. They looked pissed. Yup, they were definitely looking for payback now, she could tell. Shit. _Shit!_ This was turning into another disaster. Bad enough she got her ass beat by that cocky green idiot in front of a huge crowd…lightning was about to strike twice if she didn't hurry up and find a way out of this predicament!

"Well, we can't go down the main street now…too many goons are out lookin' for me. We gotta go into the mall! I'm almost positive there's a rear entrance? I mean, there must be one, right? Yeah, I'm pretty sure I remember seeing one when I was here with Mako. Just gotta find _it_ before they find _us!_ "

She darted into the mall's entrance, weaving in and out of the pedestrians as the area was sized up. This place was too cheap to bother posting a helpful ' _You are here*_ ' map, so Ryuko was going to have to make directional decisions on the fly from here on out.

Senketsu's golden eye started to focus curiously upon Ryuko's face as a nervous stream of unconscious mumbling fell from her worried lips. "Doot-dah-doo…just out shopping like a normal girl with money would, nothing to see here folks! Total mall zombie…yep, just a totally normal person who _isn't_ running away from a roving gang of assholes. Nope! Not me, I'm no troublemaker. I'm so normal and boring and harmless…"

"Who are you talking to, Ryuko?"

"Uh, no one? Just…myself, I guess."

"You can talk to me if you wish."

"Yeah, I know. Just nervous, is all."

"People talk to themselves when they are nervous?"

"Yeah, I suppose…or if they're batshit insane, too."

"You are not insane, Ryuko!"

"Yeah, I get that…but since no one else can hear you, I certainly _sound_ nuts to anyone who hears me talking to myself!"

"Yes, you have said this before. But if this is true, then why _were_ you just talking to yourself?"

"I…uh…shit, I dunno! Maybe I _am_ nuts, I guess? I gotta be crazy to do half the stuff I do on a regular basis. Aw crap, here we go. More trouble, I…I think?"

Ryuko paused as she suddenly noted the intense stare of a particularly gruff-looking shopkeeper, whose crossed arms and amazingly unfriendly expression immediately laser-marked her as a potential shoplifter. His accusatory glare bored into her as she quickly crossed the street, cheeks red and eyes cast down to the ground.

Senketsu quietly inquired as to her sudden shift in attitude, all the while carefully modulating his tone to not sound _too_ inquisitive. He had to learn how to not rile her up so much if he was to focus upon caring for her in a proper manner.

"Did something just happen, Ryuko? You almost seem ashamed of something, but…you didn't actually _do_ anything?"

Ryuko shrugged, hands shoved deep into coat pockets as she balled her fists as hard as she possibly could. Senketsu was getting wildly mixed signals from his confused young charge, and it was up to him to sort through her stormy mood swings as efficiently as possible. The more he learned, the better he could protect her in the future.

" _*tsk*_ He…damn it all, that stupid shop owner was giving me the hairy eyeball! Either he heard me talking to myself like a total loony, or he picked up something about my behavior and automatically assumed I was a street thief coming to steal his stuff. People always assume they have me figured out from the very first moment they meet me, y'know? Always, _always_ bad assumptions, too! There's something about me that just screams 'damaged goods' to everybody I meet, a-and I'm really sick of people treating me like that! Makes me wanna kick all their asses, but that would only serve to prove them right! It's so damned unfair, that's all. Look, I don't _really_ care. Been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. I just…get real tired of it, sometimes. That's all. No big deal. Whatever."

Senketsu drew himself up into his starchiest posture, seeking to earn the young girl's full attention as he doled out his earnest observations in a bid to quell the poisonous ache in her heart. He had a dear friend to rescue, and he would bravely approach this bitter issue as best he possibly could.

"Ryuko, it _is_ a big deal. People assume the worst because you have lived through the worst, and it shows upon your very face. But I know the real you, and you are not this cold and bitter vagabond that people choose to see! Your life has served to shape your attitude, this is true…but ultimately these are all unfortunate things that have _happened_ to you. You are not truly an evil person! I find you to be a wonderfully warm and charming individual, who has been unfortunately hampered by fate's terrible circumstances! Life _will_ change for the better, this I can guarantee you! Once your life improves, then so will your overall demeanor! People will no longer be able to harshly judge you by these impressions: they will all see the beautiful girl I _know_ you are, deep inside!"

"Shut up. You…y-you're just saying these things to make me feel better."

"Not true. Have I ever lied to you, Ryuko? I have not, and I never will. Often times, what I have to say upsets or angers you. Do you think that I say these things to irritate you on purpose? Or do I say things that you _need_ to hear, knowing it will ultimately prove to be the better thing to do? It would be so easy to lie to you and only tell you what you _want_ to hear. But that is not what true friends do! They tell you the honest truth, so that you can then benefit from the true wisdom in their words. I cannot lie to you, Ryuko. I respect you too much to ever do that, regardless of how much easier it might make my own life."

Ryuko was stunned into silence by this most earnest proclamation. Her kamui had just shown her more insightful concern than…well, anyone in recent memory. While her ears did burn with shame at acting like such a wimp in front of Senketsu, she was also swelling with pride at the knowledge that it was a blessing to have such a uniform on her back…who adamantly _had_ her back, as well.

"I… _*snff*_ …th-thanks, Senkets. That means a lot to me. I'm real lucky to have a friend like you by my side. Sorry I'm such an annoying grump to be around."

"Nonsense. You're just going through a hard time, that's all. All I need to do is remind you of how things really are, and to perhaps point out that sometimes the light you cast upon your surroundings has been tinted dark by your own past. I am merely pointing out the brighter light that the future has to offer!"

The young Matoi responded by reflexively smiling against her will. She beamed even as her internal pessimist stomped her feet and yelled at Ryuko to _be_ _miserable_ _, dammit! Now is_ _not_ _the time for smiling!_

The grin grew wider still as she steeped in the warm adulation that Senketsu had provided. This warmth didn't last, however: a chill splashed upon her insides as two goons were suddenly recognized across the way. They were coming directly towards her, with one slowly nodding his head as he grasped his bulging crotch, then motioned in her direction with a lecherous leer pasted upon his face. The other splayed two fingers around both sides of his mouth, tongue rolling around as his vulgar action caused Ryuko to furiously blush with nauseated horror. She turned to slip back into the crowd, seeking to hide from their repulsive, horny gazes.

"Ugh! Those slimy assholes are onto us! We gotta bail and try to find a way out of this place!"

"What do they want, Ryuko? Why are these people acting so strangely towards you? I don't understand these odd mannerisms at all!"

"They want something they ain't ever gonna get. Not from me! Not now, not _ever_ …"

"What is that? Money? Revenge, perhaps?"

"No, something more…uh, personal than that. Um…l-look, I'll explain later, 'kay? I promise! Just keep your eye open for that rear exit!"

She whirled around and quickly darted for the corner diagonally across from where they had been, then expertly threaded her way through the interior of some interconnected shops. Her head started to pound as waves of dizziness began to chisel away at her carefully honed street instincts. Senketsu nervously monitored her vital signs as she desperately wove her way from shop to shop, and they were foretelling a grim story, should they continue to carry on like this.

"Ryuko, please stop. You are about to pass out from sheer exhaustion! You simply must stop running right now and rest for a few moments!"

"But they're…right _behind_ us, can't stop…they'll get us and…and then horrible _things_ will happen…can't allow them t-to…to-"

"Ryuko. Please, no more running! Just stay still, and I can try to camouflage us. It is a desperate tactic, yet I feel as though it has a chance of working!"

"You… _*pant*_ …you can _do_ that? Really?"

"I believe so. I know I cannot change colors, but if I spread myself out to be thinner, I can perhaps mimic the shawl, blouse and skirt of one of those mannequin figures, up there in that shop window? Please, Ryuko…help me concentrate!"

" _*gulp*_ O-okay! Um…what am I supposed to do?"

"Imagine the shape of the clothing, and I will try to pull inspiration from that. Imagine that you are wearing them, and hold this in your mind's eye! Just relax and try to focus!"

Senketsu relaxed as best he could, then slowly allowed his form to morph into a looser, more flowing mass of cloth. Lapels transformed into a lengthy shawl that soon covered Ryuko's hunched shoulders and torso, and a long skirt now reached down to her ankles. She looked down in quiet amazement as her kamui struggled to hold his new shape. She quickly wrapped the shawl around her hair, looking (and feeling, right about now) for all intents and purposes like a tired, old pensioner. Considering her extreme exhaustion, bodily pains and protracted limping, she wouldn't really have to try too hard to act the part.

" _*gasp*_ This is so amazing! I _knew_ you could do it, Senkets!"

"Yes, Ryuko…but this is a very difficult shape to maintain, given my weakened state. I am also spread quite thin: my fabric will not hold up to any sort of vigorous prodding. Do not let anyone disturb me, or I fear that I shall be forced to revert to my default configuration! I feel that it is best if I keep my eye hidden under this shawl, its colors are too distinct and noticeable. I'll be blind now, so be most vigilant, Ryuko! Remember! I have faith in you!"

"All right, here we go. Uh…face down, hair over my face…ugh, gotta keep my red streak hidden here, dead giveaway…lemme tuck it under, I know I have a rubber band somewhere…ah, got it! Okay, we're just gonna walk right on outta here with the rest of the shoppers. Hopefully those idiots ain't too observant!"

Ryuko started to nonchalantly shuffle along the street, back hunched over as eyes darted wildly under tangled hair for any signs of her pursuers. She then spied a discarded shopping bag with an empty shoebox inside it, lying next to a garbage can. A perfect prop! She hastily scooped it up, then gingerly carried it as though it held her life savings…hopefully it _would_ end up saving her life, so that idea wasn't too far off the mark.

Ryuko nervously whispered to herself as she furtively scoped out the mall's rear exit in the distance. "Just out shopping fer shoes, that's all I am doing…just another brain-dead consumer…doo-de-doo, dum-ta-dum…no sarcastic teen punks to be found here, no sirree…hey, I don't see any of 'em, Senkets. Maybe they got bored and took off?"

"Perhaps, Ryuko. But do not let your guard down! We shall only relax once we safely arrive at the Mankanshoku household. Ugh, this area is so filthy. I could certainly use a good scrubbing after this!"

"Yeah, I need a hot soaking, too. My muscles are so damned sore right now…oh, I swear I'm gonna shove that green-haired jerk's bamboo sword so far up his ass, he'll need to eat termites just to take a _shit!_ "

"Er…Ryuko?"

"Yeah?"

"I don't think I want to help you accomplish that feat."

"Oi, it's just a figure of speech! I'm just pissed off, that's all! Though if I _do_ get the chance, I might actually cram that shinai right into his little-"

"Heyyy, what's this? You seem kinda familiar, lady! Yo, look up at me! I need to see your face!"

The tall, leather-clad thug leered at Ryuko as he deliberately stepped into her path, white-knuckled fist clutching a broken beer bottle as he did. She continued to stare at the ground as she looked around for a weapon, a distraction…anything to help her out of this mess.

"Ryuko? Have we been spotted?"

"Hang on, don't freak out! I'll think of something…"

"Yo! Lady? You hear me or what? Don't make me mess you up! I'm jus' lookin' fer some bitch that royally fucked up my good buddy, just a little while ago! So look up at me _right fuckin' now, or else!_ "

Ryuko was stopped in front of a corner restaurant, so no conveniently discarded axes, hammers or shovels were going to be found around here. However…out of the various bits and pieces of trash that lay strewn about the entrance, one red container managed to catch her eye. A paper bowl rested precariously upon the lip of the street's trash receptacle, contents only half-eaten. Emblazoned upon the side was the label: 'Dangerous Super Habanero Chicken' (危険スーパーハバネロチケン), festooned with a cartoon depiction of a panicking rooster, flames erupting from its parted beak.

 _'_ _Perfect. One side of culinary fireworks, coming right up!'_

She quickly reached down and scooped up the container, then flung it directly into the bewildered punk's face as he watched, stunned by the lady's suddenly athletic moves. The effects were immediate: Matoi Ryuko's 'Special Pepper Spray Greeting Attack' (特別な唐辛子スプレー挨拶攻撃) was delivered straight to his eyes with a mischievous grin as he then proceeded to erupt into a volcano of high-velocity swears and violent epithets. "Bon appétit! _*snort*_ Please enjoy your just desserts… _dickhead!_ " she gaily chirped as he fell to the ground, clawing at his agonizingly-blinded eyes while he thrashed about on the filthy street corner. This certainly wasn't the first food fight the young vagabond had started, and it most likely wouldn't be the last. Of course, she hadn't thought to weaponize super spicy chicken dishes before, either…regardless, this fight was over the moment it had begun. No sympathy was to be found in her heart as she silently glided away, the punk mewling and weeping pathetically as he crawled in the street while curious onlookers started to gather around him. Senketsu had reverted back to his default shape with a quick snap, as he was unable to concentrate any further due to this latest confrontation. Ryuko heard his exasperated gasp, whereupon she gently stroked his anxious lapels in quiet response. "No, just no. Knock it off. Stop your worrying, okay? You did good! That was totally awesome. We're almost outta here…just have to keep going for a bit more. Are ya still with me, buddy?" "Ah…yes, of course. Always!"

"Listen, his gang buddies are sure to be here real soon. Let's get while the gettin's good!" Ryuko chuckled as she slipped through the crowd, making a beeline for the rear entrance to the mall. She had only been here once before with Mako, but she was fairly certain this was the way out. She didn't have time to ask around for a mall guide, anyways: the time to beat a hasty retreat was here and now. The exhausted young warrior grit her teeth as she desperately maneuvered her way around the slow-as-molasses shoppers, determined to get the hell out of this place once and for all.

Ryuko breathed a sigh of relief as she finally passed the last shopper and turned around the bend. Just _one_ more corner, and she could start picking out her shampoo and conditioner combination for tonight's long, hot soak! There wasn't even anyone in her way anymore as she darted down the cobblestone pathway. Apparently no one ever bothered to use this exit, since there weren't any nice little trinket shops along the way to con people into last-minute impulse buys before they left.

The warm anticipation of a hot bath suddenly turned into a frozen bucket of numbing reality. Ryuko now saw why no one used this exit.

There wasn't one.

What she thought was an exit had turned out to be a dead-end alleyway. A number of dumpsters and some cardboard recycling containers were all that greeted her at the end of the dark cul-de-sac. She slapped the far wall in frustration, trying to see if there was a way to climb it. No fire escape ladders, not even a damned drainage pipe. Nothing!

Echoes started to make their way to her ears: shouts that sounded suspiciously like angry punks and other assorted vermin…voices that were coming perilously close to her current position. She burrowed in between a cardboard dumpster and the wall while savage swearing and trembling issued forth from her sweaty, agonized frame.

She was cold, tired, and hungry. Terrible waves of pain were still calling her body home for the time being. It was just her and her faithful kamui against the world. Never did this fact assail her more than this very moment: back to the wall, nowhere left to run. While Ryuko was an extraordinarily brave girl, she was also a very human one…and no one could fault her for the very real fear that now threatened to run her body through with jagged icicle blades.

A sudden chill rippled down her spine, setting all of her hair follicles on cold fire as she quivered uncontrollably in the darkened corner. She wasn't normally one to get scared, but the situation was looking rather grim. Ryuko had managed to get through her entire drifter career without once being sexually assaulted, but now she wasn't entirely sure that was going to remain true…nor did she want poor Senketsu to witness such a horrendous crime, either!

Teeth gritted in hateful defiance, she decided right then and there that it would be the worst experience of that gang's life, even if she was incredibly weak and dizzy from the blood loss and trauma that Sanageyama Uzu had enthusiastically inflicted upon her body. Her head was buzzing and tunnel vision was swimming as she desperately felt around for a makeshift weapon, but there was nothing to be found that could possibly work. Just mounds of old cardboard boxes and craploads of Styrofoam packing peanuts that filled the corners and swirled occasionally in the light breeze.

Naked fear began to sink cold teeth into her heart, and so Ryuko found herself blindly burrowing under the heaps of cardboard boxes. It was a pathetic gambit, but there wasn't anywhere else left to go. Those animals would be loping down the alleyway any minute now, and they were tenacious enough to search every stinking millimeter of the area until they found her. Her body shivered uncontrollably at the very thought of being touched by those horny jackals. How could it have possibly come to _this?_

Senketsu then began to involuntarily shake in response as well: apparently he was synchronized to his host's body more than he cared to admit. It manifested as a small tremor here and there at first, but then slowly increased in amplitude as raw panic started to infect his very fibers. This thrumming sensation was most disturbing to the young vagabond: it now felt as though her clothes were a cellphone, ringer set to vibrate…and panic was now calling her like an unwelcome telemarketer during dinnertime.

"S-Senkets? Wh-what the hell're you d-doin' here? Ya gotta cut this shit out, like right now! This ain't helping things at _all_ , we gotta be real quiet or else they'll find us for sure!"

"I-I'm sorry, Ryuko! I don't know _what_ is going on! Is this terrible feeling…is this _fear?_ I'm n-not in control of my behavior, my own threads are betraying me! I don't like this at all! Why can't I s- _stop?!"_

"I don't _know_ , but you have to find a way to get a grip and stop vibrating, o-or else I'll…I'm gonna…uh…oh, no… _no_. This is NOT h-happening! Not in public! Senketsu, I'm begging you! Please, you have t-to stop d-doing thisss…"

"Ryuko, I'm so s-scared! I don't have enough blood to assist with a getaway! I'm barely awake as it is! I cannot allow these men to hurt you! _What can I possibly_ _do_ _?!_ "

"This is n-not happening…I have n-never been so embarrassed in all my l-life! Please, someone just s-strike me dead r-right now! No! I'm not gonna allow this to… _ah!_ T-to…oh, f-fuck me running! Not now!"

"Hey, I think I heard something over here! You guys hear that? What the hell, is something…buzzing back here or what? Th' fuck _is_ that weird noise anyways, sounds like a big-assed hornet or somethin'? Hornet's nest, maybe? Shit, hope that ain't Japanese hornets, those big-assed things are scary as fuck! Think it's maybe comin' from those boxes over there…?"

"Shit, I hope not! Hornets creep me the hell out, ugly little fuckers! Listen, I'm almost positive I saw that bitch duck down here, and there ain't no way out! Big Boss wants her cute ass spread out for his revenge, like big time! Hey guys, if _we_ find her, he just might let us take a shot at that juicy little ass, too! She's just gotta be in here somewhere! Hey man, you go check those boxes in the corner. We'll look in those dumpsters."

"Ah, fuck. Aight, I ain't scared of no insects. I'm on it! Uh, wait up…guys? Someone's coming this way, like real fast! Yo, who in th' fuck is _that?_ "

"Oh, shiiiiiit. Guys… _guys!_ Yo, I know that broad! It's that crazy coconut-headed lunatic from East Sylvilagus Street! Fuck this, let's clear on outta here! Bitch is so damned loud, she'll bring the authorities down on us all in a freakin' minute!"

"Ah? Oh God, not _her?!_ Man, screw this other bitch, let's go, go, _go!"_

"Hey! You! ALL you bad guys, go on and beat it! That's right! Get on OUT of here! I know _all_ of your mothers, each and every _one of you!_ Don't make me tell them what you've been up to tonight! Go on and mug someone else! Hmm, now let's see here…a-ha! _Ryuko-chan!_ THERE you are! I've been looking all OVER the neighborhood for you! I KNEW that if I just followed the most violent crowd of thugs, I'd find _you_ right in the middle of it all! I was _right,_ after all! So here I am, and here _you_ are… _*tsk*_! Playing in cardboard boxes _again?_ Ryuko-chan, you play _way_ too many video games! Who are you playing as now, Venom Snake? Or should I start calling you ' _Venom Ryuuko_ ' instead? You silly, silly girl! I've been _so_ very worried about you, I was going to start calling around Honnōji Academy and see if they still had you as a prisoner! But I just KNEW they couldn't keep you down! Oh, well… _that,_ plus I would have had to call collect and I don't know if Lady Satsuki-sama would have accepted the charges, even if she _is_ super rich?! Boy, I sure am glad I didn't have to resort to _that!_ So we should totally go home now, before those rude boys try anything else! Coming?"

"Yeah…in a minute."

"Okay, Ryuko-chan! I'll give you exactly _one_ minute, then we can go home! Those croquettes aren't going to eat themselves, you know! I'll just be waiting right over here, counting the top _sixty_ reasons why we're going to be best buddies forever! Okay…now, here we go: one! Yep, and…two! Oh, that's true, too! Ooh, three! Uh-huh! Four? Yes, absolutely…"

"Ah… _*_ _ **sigh**_ _*_ ….ah…o-okay then. Whoo…a-all…all right. Easing back on the throttle now. Back down to Planet Earth. Slooowly…slowly. I'm…yeah, I'm good now. Whew. Okay! Better now, calmer now. Um…Senketsu? Are you cool, now? It's over, they all left."

"Yes, I am much calmer now. Ryuko, I am so very sorry for losing control like that! I don't know what came over me! Was that just fear I felt, or was that what they call a 'panic attack'? I can't really say that I like either…I just wanted us to run far away, but we simply couldn't do so! What a terrible sensation! Are you all right? I seem to sense that you have relaxed quite considerably in the past minute or so. Is this the calming effect of Mako being near you?"

"Mmm…no, not this time. But I am okay now, I swear. Aw, crap. I could really use a cigarette now."

"No, I must absolutely forbid you from doing that! Ryuko, smoking is _very_ bad for your body! Do I have to watch for _that_ as well as monitor your caloric intake from now on?"

"Naw, just…an old habit, I guess. I'm feeling pretty good now, all things considered. Listen, you did real good, Senketsu! That was some clever thinking back there, changing your shape and stuff? I'm proud of you! Let's go home and get some chow now, I am starving!"

"I am, as well! Let us get you properly fed! That way you can generate more blood and we can then be even _more_ powerful for our next battle!"

"Yeah! Right on! We'll kick the crap outta that snotty bitch and her dumb-ass minions, too! _Especially_ that loudmouthed Sword Boy!"

"Indeed we shall! But perhaps you should try to calm down now. For someone who is as wounded as you are, you certainly do have some _very_ red cheeks? I'm surprised you even have enough blood left over for any blushing!"

"Wha-I'm just…f-flustered, that's all! You worked me all up!"

"Me? Ryuko, I did no such thing! I am sorry if I caused you any distress, but I was frightened! I have yet to formulate a proper response to such unexpected feelings!"

"Uh, I wouldn't necessarily say 'distress', but…yeah, you didn't do it on purpose. Sorry, didn't mean to make it sound like I was blaming you. It ain't your fault!"

"You were quite distressed! It's all right to admit it, Ryuko. I was distressed as well!"

"Naw, just _*a_ _ **hem**_ _*_ got a little _too_ excited about stuff. Whoo! Yeah, so…let's just say that you still have a _lot_ to learn about how the human body works, buddy."

"Ryuko, does this have something to do with what that gang wanted? You said that it wasn't about money or vengeance…were you afraid of something _else_ that I am not seeing here?"

" _*sigh*_ You know, I just realized that I have to have a long talk…with my own _clothing!_ What kind of awkward life did I stumble upon, anyways? I swear, this day cannot get any weirder."

"Talk?"

"Yeah, you know…'bout birds and bees and stuff."

"Ryuko, don't be silly. I know what birds are, as well as bees! I fail to see how they are relevant to this situation?"

"Yup. Gonna be a looong night."

"Come ON, Ryuko-chan! I need to get you cleaned up and fed! You look like someone beat your butt with a thousand sticks! We're just a couple blocks away from my house! See, look! Just past the 'Black Parade Music Shop'! Down the road and across the stream and we'll be there! Let's go- _go_ - ** _go_** _!_ You can talk to your silly uniform later! Mom can wash it while you eat! Oh, Ryuko-chan…I swear, what am I _ever_ going to do with you? So gosh-darned _reckless_ …"

That night was indeed long, but least it eventually bore the fruits of wisdom. After a long and carefully explained lecture, Senketsu learned not to shake in times of stress, thus sparing Ryuko any sort of awkward public embarrassment in the future…though he would eventually choose to utilize similar methods to ease her painfully sore back and limbs (and there would be no shortage of _those_ moments in the coming months).

Oh, and as promised…they never did speak of it again.

* * *

\- Three years later -

* * *

The crimson motorcycle slowly puttered to a stop near the edge of a desolate road that overlooked Tokyo Bay. The rider sat there for a while, quietly observing the sunset's fiery swath as it burned the very rim of heaven itself with vivid crimson and amber hues. The cobalt of the evening sky blended nicely in with this most impressive light show, and it was impossible to not imagine a fleeting image of her former kamui within this beautiful chromatic display.

The biker pulled off her helmet, and long, flowing hair spilled out over her red leather jacket. She put the helmet down on the bike's seat, then stretched stiff arms out behind her as she took in the glorious sights.

"Check it out: got a cool new helmet, and a sweet-ass leather jacket, too! Nice, right? I sometimes allow myself to get little presents, once in a while. I usually only do that on special occasions and anniversaries and stuff, ya know? And, well…today's…a-an anniversary of sorts, ain't it? Yep, it sure is."

She tried to sort out the tangled knots her long hair had become, but soon gave up trying. Shouldn't have let it fly free for so long, out there on the windy highway. But she was caught up in the heat of the moment, and before she knew it she was flying effortlessly through the night, thoughts of the past guiding her to this very spot on this solemn eve.

"You haunt me, you know. That ain't a bad thing, though! I just want you to know that I will _never_ stop thinking about you! I know, I know…I don't have to worry about it, because you're always watching me from above. All the same, you're never far from my thoughts. Just…wanted you to hear it out loud."

A shooting star streaked across the sky just then, blazing a thin white scar across the evening's darkening vista. Ryuko's nose wrinkled, surprised at the sudden light burst. Only then did moisture start to crown around her eyelids…stinging thoughts started to creep into the periphery of her mind, poking and prodding at the shell of time-hardened memories.

" _*sniff*_ I don't think I like shooting stars anymore, Senkets. They're supposed to grant wishes...but one took mine away. I wish you were here, I really do. This shit just ain't _fair_. I wanted to share this new world with you…this beautiful world we both helped to create."

Sighing, she then brought out a new pack of cigarettes from inside her leather jacket. Tapping the pack, she popped out a single death stick as her lighter came forward to spark her guilt once more, for old times' sake. The cigarette hovered in between her lips, and the glow of the lighter reflected in her eyes as she stared at it, yellow flame licking just outside the reach of the tip. One more millimeter, then that harsh patch of familiar heat would light up her throat, delivering a quick shot of nicotine right into her skull.

Ryuko's hand hesitated, then trembled slightly…she then suddenly found herself dropping the lighter in surprise as the overheated metal scorched her thumb. Cursing, she reached over to pick it back up again, then paused as she squatted down in the dirt. She stared at the orange lighter, then glanced at the unlit cigarette. Guilty eyes then probed the sky as she sighed, then flicked the cigarette into the bushes. A crushed cigarette pack soon followed it.

"You don't have to yell at me. I know. Satsuki would kill me. But most of all, I don't want to disappoint _you_. I know you're still watching my vitals. Don't have to nag me about it…"

Standing up, Ryuko rubbed her arms as she looked out across the bay. A few solitary girders still stuck out from the water's surface, lingering reminders of the enormous fortress that once stood there as a supreme monument to militaristic might. Little did anyone know that in reality it was actually a secret factory, dedicated to manufacturing and dishing out the coldest of revenge plans: a secret plot that she had helped to bring to fruition.

Matoi Ryuko had taken down the entire damned thing; brought it crashing right down upon Kiryuin Ragyo's arrogant, scheming head. Vengeance, just as she had once promised her father's cooling corpse. She hadn't done it alone, however. Help had been found in the unlikeliest of places: inside a dark basement laboratory, in a dilapidated shack located in the very poorest slums of town…even within the topmost spire of the Academy itself. Life was indeed most unpredictable.

Looking at her bike, she then suddenly had a strange notion. She fished around in her bike's pouch, and a small screwdriver was eventually located and brought forth. Tilting her head, Ryuko then vigorously scratched an 'X' into her motorcycle's left headlight. Admiring her handiwork, she then looked up at the early evening sky to seek final approval.

"Cool? Yeah, I think it's cool, too. Shoulda done that before, but it didn't occur to me until just now. Hope you don't mind…"

Ryuko leaned upon her motorcycle as she wrapped her arms around herself. It was a subconscious habit: to remind herself over and over of the time that Senketsu had hugged her like this. Showed her that she wasn't the scum of the earth. That maybe she _was_ deserving of love, after all. Her fist clutched at her aching chest as her heart swelled to the point of bursting. Her lips subconsciously formed the words of a song that was now ringing out inside her head…a melody that had been inhabiting her mind for the better part of a week now, and had showed no signs of moving on.

" _You're still a part of me…your presence is always here…my love…_ "

She sang quietly to herself as the dam finally crumbled. Tears flowed out in a cathartic release that she had been bravely holding back for the past week leading up to this night.

 _"_ _When you're apart from me…your shadow follows by…so close…"_

When Ryuko finally got home, Satsuki would simply have to drop whatever she was doing that night and help to soothe her aching heart, once again…but Sats should have figured out by now what day it was, anyways. This was a tradition that would never end…not as long as Ryuko had the ability to honor her beloved kamui's untimely sacrifice.

It didn't get any easier, this piercing heartache. It lingered on, coloring every moment, every single day…true, the sting had lessened in intensity as time went by, but it would never fade away altogether. Someone had once loved her with all their heart, and that love was going to be returned in kind…even if that someone was now forever gone from this mortal plane of existence.

The sheer unfairness of it all ground a particularly sharp bite into her soul. He should _be_ here with her, to finally enjoy the fruits of his selfless labors! That fact bored over and over into her head, like a slowly turning drill bit that never ceased. She then ushered in gentler memories to combat the cold awareness of how very unpredictable fate could be at its cruelest moments. His voice, sonorous and warm. The gently squeeze of his form around hers, used as emphasis for one of his many talking points. His unwavering faith in her abilities, her actions. His genuine concern for her safety and well-being.

Most of all…his steadfast love for her, provided without thought of recompense. Even when she didn't deserve a single shred of it, when she was acting like a lowly, despicable animal…still he loved her so. These thoughts had eventually won her over and coaxed her back from the brink of darkest ruin, both then and now.

The tearstorm eventually subsided, the ever-present ache settling back down into the steady background roar it always was…Ryuko coughed quietly as she dutifully wiped away her own tears. She sniffled and sighed, then breathed in deeply a few times to clear her focus. The young woman tossed her unruly hair behind her as she then mounted the motorcycle, kicking it to life with a practiced flourish. She briefly considered taking the time to tuck her hair into her jacket, but the exhilarating allure of the open road was more insistent. Her hair would simply have to fly free, much like her spirit did these days. Satsuki would take one look at Ryuko's snarled hair when she got home, then immediately take her captive as she slaved over the poor, mistreated follicles with a firm and orderly hair brushing. She would mumble under her breath all the while about the rigors of proper grooming and how Ryuko didn't deserve to even _have_ such luxurious locks if she wasn't going to properly care for them!

Exactly as Ryuko wanted. It was a petty tactic, but it worked. The recovery would go that much faster if someone took the time to make Ryuko feel genuinely loved, and she needed that so very much right now.

"I'm gonna be okay now, I think. I want you to know that. I'm…not alone in the world anymore. I have people who actually care about me now! Oh, and I have this utterly ridiculous collection of clothes now…boy, you should see that someday! Ha! You see, Satsuki thinks she's turnin' me into a big ol' fashion snob whenever we go shopping! But no, that's really just a promise I made to you, now ain't it? Yeah, I wear my clothing with pride! All sorts of fancy stuff! After all, we fought for a world where we could do that without fear, now didn't we? I…I want you to be really _proud_ of me, Senkets…'cause I'll always be proud of _you_."

Donning her helmet, Ryuko then queued up a song on her phone that she had saved for this very occasion. Tires screeching, the bike's brake lights streaked out like twin meteors into the night, clouds of exhaust and dust swirling in her turbulent wake.

 _'_ _This will be a good life, after all…good enough. Thank you for the precious gift of life, my dearest friend! You provided me with the light I needed, so I could see to find my way again. I'll always love you, and you'll always be a part of me…forever.'_

Ryuko thought this to herself as the highway lines started to blur, tears streaming under her visor as she raced towards home and ultimately the rest of her life as the song's bittersweet lyrics served to boost her aching heart to stratospheric levels.

 _..._

 _There's a song that you sang that chilled my bones_

 _The melody was inside now it's becoming bored_

 _I'm coming to feel the fire_

 _I'm jumping into the wind_

 _Eyes closed_

 _It's echoing through the room_

 _It goes up my spine again_

 _Your ghost_

 _Leave the beat in_

 _And it feels like fire_

 _In my head_

 _Leave the beat in_

 _And it feels like fire_

 _In my head_

 _In my head_

 _In my head_

 _In my head_

 _You're still a part of me_

 _Your presence is always here_

 _My love_

 _When you're apart from me_

 _Your shadow follows by_

 _So close_

 _Leave the beat in_

 _And it feels like fire_

 _In my head_

 _Leave the beat in_

 _And it feels like fire_

 _In my head_

 _In my head_

 _In my head_

 _..._


End file.
